MRS. WINTERBOURNE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.5 Alternative Scale: ** out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 4/19/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:45 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, Brendan Fraser, Miguel Sandoval Director: Richard Benjamin Producers: Dale Pollock, Ross Canter, Oren Koules Screenplay: Lisa-Marie Radano and Phoef Sutton based on the novel I MARRIED A DEAD MAN by Cornell Woolrich Music: Patrick Doyle U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures
It's said that nothing new comes out of Hollywood these days, and that's certainly the case with MRS. WINTERBOURNE, a romantic comedy based on Cornell Woolrich's I MARRIED A DEAD MAN. This film creates a sense of deja vu that may have viewers flashing back to last year's WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, a remarkably similar story. However, while SLEEPING boasted the talents of a charismatic Sandra Bullock and affable Bill Pullman, MRS. WINTERBOURNE has an irritating Ricki Lake and bland Brendan Fraser. It's not hard to guess which is the better movie.
Stripped to its bare bones, MRS. WINTERBOURNE is about a lonely woman finding a family and romance when she pretends to be the wife of a dead man. Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake) is abandoned on the streets of New York City when she refuses to abort her boyfriend's child. Nine months pregnant and homeless, she stows away on a train to Boston, where she meets Hugh Winterbourne (Brendan Fraser) and his expecting wife, Patricia (Susan Haskell). The train is involved in a wreck, and Hugh and Patricia are killed. As a result of certain artificial circumstances, Connie is believed to be Patricia, and her baby, who is born just after the crash, is accepted as the late Hugh's son. The pair are invited to the Winterbournes' Boston mansion to meet Hugh's mother, Grace (Shirley MacLaine), and his twin brother, Bill (also Fraser). While Grace accepts Connie's story without question, Bill is suspicious, especially when she signs a check "Connie Doyle" instead of "Patricia Winterbourne".
Perhaps because it bears such a marked resemblance to WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, MRS. WINTERBOURNE comes across as stale and recycled. The plot is littered with the kinds of contrivances and coincidences common to all mistaken identity stories, but, instead of dealing with such issues in a fresh and intelligent manner, the script treats them with a workmanlike, sit-com approach (not surprising, considering that co-screenwriter Phoef Sutton worked on CHEERS). And, although MRS. WINTERBOURNE offers a few humorous moments, the comedy isn't consistent.
As I've often said in the past, chemistry is critical to a romantic comedy's success. Here, there's precious little between leads Ricki Lake and Brendan Fraser. Fraser, who hasn't given a good performance since SCHOOL TIES, makes Bill ineffectual and uninteresting. Lake, a TV talk show host and veteran of John Waters movies, does a credible Rosie O'Donnell imitation -- that's to say she's equally aggravating. At least Shirley MacLaine is her usual solid self, but, although her presence saves a few scenes, she can't rescue MRS. WINTERBOURNE.
For director Richard Benjamin, who debuted behind the camera with 1982's MY FAVORITE YEAR, MRS. WINTERBOURNE isn't likely to be a stand- out on his resume. This film mistakes action for energy, ridiculous circumstances for comedy, and a mismatched male/female pairing for romance. Those in search of a lighthearted love story would do better checking out THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOGS, or, for something really similar, renting WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING. Unlike MRS. WINTERBOURNE, neither of those films is mired in mediocrity.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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