RUNAWAY BRIDE *** (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack, Hector Elizondo and Rita Wilson Director-Garry Marshall Rated PG Released July 1999 Paramount
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Runaway Bride is a Pretty Woman reunion that feels more light and fluffy than it's predecessor. But, despite it's obvious tone and rather formulaic script, it still manages to be a crowd-pleaser.
The stars do a great deal to enliven what is actually a sub-par romance. Richard Gere plays Ike Graham, a USA Today columnist who is desperate for a story idea. Through an acquaintance in a bar, he discovers information that could make for interesting reading: a small-town girl named Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts), dubbed as the `runaway bride', has become notorious for leaving her groom at the alter for a series of up to 7 or 8 incidents. Graham, rushing to meet the deadline, types up the column to have it published in the paper the following day.
But the real Maggie Carpenter spots the headline, and does not appreciate the gross exaggerations that Graham uses in his writing style (she insists it was only three times that she high-tailed it out of a wedding). His editor (and ex-wife, played by Rita Wilson) ends up firing Ike, but a friend (played by Hector Elizondo) offers him another chance to get his facts straight. And so the big city boy goes off to Hale, Maryland to investigate the real truth and attempt to express his apologies to Maggie. Who knows, the two might even fall for each other in the end......
It was a wise move for director Gary Marshall to return to his romance roots and try to re-invent his biggest hit. Lately, Marshall has been lagging seriously behind (I'm pretty sure Exit to Eden didn't make any Ten Best lists). This reunion with Roberts and Gere should be a sure-fire hit, and even if the material is recycled scrap, the presentation is modestly charming and always watchable. Both stars look pretty enough to single-handedly save any film, no matter how terribly the script may be constructed.
Runaway Bride is predictable, to say the least, but it has a certain charm. The supporting cast is made up of largely familiar faces, including another Pretty Woman vet: Hector Elizondo. Elizondo stole many scenes in the 1990 film as a courteous hotel owner, and his performance here is again impressive. Joan Cusack, as Maggie's quirky best friend, is basically typecast once again and injects a lot of natural humor into the proceedings. The two lead characters hate each other so much it seems impossible that they'll end up together. Minimal sparks fly between Roberts and Gere, but they both turn in believable performances, even as they are being pushed toward a highly improbable happy ending.
Star power is the glue that holds this film together. The script has all the regular clichés associated with this kind of film, and reliance on the lead performances is huge. The set-up has some obvious problems, but once Runaway Bride gets into a natural flow, it's easy to enjoy. But please, next time spare us some of the humor associated with Maggie's perverted grandmother, who explains in detail her disastrous honeymoon night. This is a light romantic comedy, and a character like hers seems somewhat out of place.
This is Julia Roberts' second summer romance (the first was Notting Hill), and she has submitted another charming performance. Still, this remains Pretty Woman-lite. The PG rating ensures the film is suitable for family viewing, but it also adds some restrictions. Someone searching for a sweet escape to the theater could do far worse than Runaway Bride, if they are in the mood for something fitfully entertaining but not terribly original. This has been done a dozen times before, but never with this kind of star charisma.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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