ONLY YOU
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 6.0
Date Released: 10/7/94 Running Length: 1:48 Rated: PG (Mature themes)
Starring: Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Bonnie Hunt, Joaquim De Almeida, Fisher Stevens, Billy Zane Director: Norman Jewison Producers: Norman Jewison, Cary Woods, Robert N. Fried, Charles Mulvehill Screenplay: Diane Drake Cinematography: Sven Nykvist Music: Rachel Portman Released by TriStar Pictures
"All love is pursuit of the whole."
- Plato
One of the most important elements of any romantic comedy is that mysterious, unquantifiable quality referred to as "chemistry." Some couples have it; others don't--that's a simple fact of films. How well the leads work together often determines whether a movie is successful or not. In the case of ONLY YOU, Norman Jewison's latest production, actors Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr. don't fully connect. There are times when the embers start to smolder, but a fire never ignites.
This is another love story about fate (remember SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE?), with Tomei's Faith (an appropriate name) having a Ouija board experience at age eleven which convinces her that her destiny is someone named Damon Bradley. Days later, a carnival fortune teller reinforces this belief. So, when as an adult of twenty-five only ten days away from an unpromising marriage, Faith answers a phone call from someone named Damon Bradley, her life is turned upside down.
Accompanied by best friend and sister-in-law Kate (Bonnie Hunt), Faith climbs aboard an airplane and follows Damon to Venice, and then on to Rome, where she tracks him from hotels to restaurants, always getting close, but never close enough. Then, when she's about ready to give up hope, coincidence crosses her path with that of a charming stranger (Robert Downey Jr.) who casually informs Faith that he, in fact, is the man she's looking for.
As is the case with almost every motion picture in the genre, originality is not ONLY YOU's strong suit. Everyone going to the movie knows what's going to happen in the end--the only question is whether the path leading there will be more enjoyable than insipid. In this case, it is, but there's a lot missing as well. ONLY YOU is entertaining without being exceptionally accomplished.
The storyline has the advantage of including several minor twists designed to play upon the audience's expectations, and the rewrites of Diane Drake's script offer an alternative explanation for those who resolutely refuse to acknowledge the existence of destiny. Amidst all the requisite formulaic situations, there are moments of surprising cleverness.
Unfortunately, Tomei and Downey appear less made for each other than their characters supposedly are. The two never come across as a great--or even less-than-great--screen couple. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, THE CUTTING EDGE, and even this summer's IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU (to name a few) all worked to some degree because it's easy to accept that the lead characters fall in love. In ONLY YOU, that impossible-to-define connection is weak.
One of the problems may be that Downey isn't in the first forty-five minutes of the film and when he finally appears, things seem to be rushed. Or it could be that Marisa Tomei's Faith is so focused on destiny that she never has an opportunity to develop a personality. Especially compared to her friend Kate, she is flat. Tomei's energetic performance merely makes her hyperactively flat.
With her short hair, the lead actress bears a striking resemblance to a young Audrey Hepburn. The effect is obviously intentional, as shown by the inclusion of a scene at the "Mouth of Truth" that echoes ROMAN HOLIDAY (Downey does a great vocal imitation of Gregory Peck).
Some will doubtlessly compare ONLY YOU to Jewison's most popular romantic comedy, MOONSTRUCK. Similarities, however, are mostly superficial. MOONSTRUCK forged living, breathing characters from a keen script. ONLY YOU doesn't do nearly as much, nor is its source material as impressive. Despite some underlying ideas about forging one's own destiny, this is a essentially a light, inoffensive movie that will appeal to those who aren't seeking more than a bubbly romance.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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