And then, remarkably thing, I actually began to enjoy it. This, in spite of my reservations about Julia Roberts, the female Keanu Reeves, famous for no apparent reason. It is true that Roberts isn't the best part of the movie by a long shot. But gradually, the story dragged me in, despite my resistance.
What dragged me in was no chick-flick. Besides being an enjoyable comedy (more on that below), it is also a musing on loneliness, how we Can't Always Get What We Want. The ending, which I have no desire to reveal here, completely satisfies, despite (or probably, because) it conforms to no known formula.
Surprisingly, however, little comedy comes from the plot. Handled differently, this story of a young woman (Julia Roberts) who tries to break up the wedding of her former lover (Dermot Mulroney, setting on extra bland) and his radiantly beautiful fiancee (Cameron Diaz), could be a prickly drama presented on "Masterpiece Theatre": Les Liaisons Dangereuses Lite. As it is, the film has its share of laughs: some of them pratfalls, some of them musical numbers, which the rest of the audience found infinitely more amusing than I did, but most of them from the characters. No, scratch that--most of them from the actors. That would explain why the supporting characters are so superior to the leading ones.
Rupert Everett has been praised by everyone for playing George, Julia Roberts's gay best friend, and I must join the general chorus. He is totally free of swishy stereotypes, while delivering wry, arch observations on all the goings-on. When, in traditional screwball fashion, Roberts tells everybody that Everett is her fiancee, he goes over-the-top in assuming the role, delighting everyone but her. The final scene of the films looks as though it might have been added on later, if only to afford the dynamic Everett extra screen time. If this is a screwball comedy, there must be a Ralph Bellamy role. In that part, we have Cameron Diaz, out of whom sunlight fairly springs. This is niceness taken to the Nth degree. Despite being given a secondary role, she instantly makes herself the most lovable character.
Paling in comparison to the supporting cast, Roberts and Mulroney are oh-so-bland in the lead. Roberts suffers from trying to avoid being too unattractive a character, while Mulroney has no such excuse. Why would two women fight over this lump? I guess it just goes to show the dearth of young male leads in Hollywood when Mulroney, Keanu Reeves, Christian Slater, and Kevin Bacon can find constant employment.
In the smaller parts, no one really stands out, with the exception of Paul Giamatti, as a hotel porter. In just a few seconds, he creates a three-dimensional character, bringing more poignance to the scene than a weepy Roberts does. I hope to see more of him in the future.
In any case, kudos to director Hogan and writer Ronald Bass for making this subversive, off-beat film, and to Everett and Diaz for livening up the proceedings. I thank heaven that I was spared the conventions of the chick-flick romantic comedy.
Three stars
Copyright 1997 by Dale G. Abersold
