"I want to get married. No, I don't!"
"I want to get married. No, I don't!"
"I want to get married. No, I don't!"
"I want to get married. No, I don't!"
"Do I want to get married. I'm not sure. Or am I?"
That, in short, is the story of this romantic movie that brings
together the charged-up "sparks" of Gere and Roberts.
© Buena Vista International
© Paramount Pictures and Touchstone Pictures/Interscope
Communications with Lakeshore Entertainment
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Ike Graham (Richard Gere) is a reporter looking for a scoop, a
kind of Mr. Lonelyhearts with a carefree, cavalier way of looking
at life. With an hour left to deadline (is it that late already?), he
makes the brave decision to dive into his local bar and,
hopefully, find some inspiration. His hopes are more than
rewarded when one of his drinking buddies tells the tale of the
runaway bride. Her last exit, as we have already seen during
the opening credits, was on horseback. No man has managed
to get her further than the church. All of which goes to prove
that you can lead this girl to the altar, but you can't make her
wink. Graham, a bred in the bone (so to speak) reporter,
decides this potential old wives' tale is good enough for his
column. It appears in the next edition, but when it comes to the
attention of the prissy young Maryland missy, she threatens to
sue the newspaper. It seems the weathered reporter might
have been wise to check out all the facts before submitting it.
Ike waves good-bye to his job and undefeatedly heads toward
Hale, the hometown of Miss Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts).
He is supported throughout this enterprise by ex-departmental
head and good friend Fisher (Hector Elizondo). He figures that
all he has to do is mark time, keep a record, and watch Miss
Carpenter as she goes through the motions preparing her next
wedding, which, as a matter of fact, is already on the way. If
she runs, which Ike's sure she will, he will get both an
entertaining story and his job back.
The reporter's charming manner and enchanting smile (you've
seen it in other films) wins the hearts of the townspeople who
openly reveal any and all details that they can regarding the
lady with the largest collection of engagement rings in town.
Never do they hesitate in the least to tell all, despite the fact
that little Miss Wedless is supposedly a good friend of theirs.
Even her father is not beyond making a good joke at her
expense whenever opportunity allows (like, say, at wedding
receptions).
The curvaceous Miss Carpenter not only holds a track record
(most-unwed-one-minute-mile), but is also a capable kick boxer
and sublime modern lighting designer, which, of course, make
her ultimately a shining example of dangerous womanhood
(and a desirable catch to boot). She could probably conquer
New York City with her designs, but can't manage to make the
leap into independence or individuality.
Graham has a slanted point-of-view on women, probably
enhanced by a past divorce from his ex-boss and editor-in-chief
Ellie (Rita Wilson), and a slight hint of misogyny in his character
(, despite the smile). His ex-wife and ex-boss is, by the way,
married to his ex-departmental head and friend Fisher;
nevertheless, he's still smiling.
Of course (if you haven't guessed yet), things start to get a bit
messy when Mr. Graham becomes enchanted by Miss
Carpenter and vice versa. Where will this all lead? Will she
ever hang up her dirty sneakers and settle into a nice white
gown? And, more important, where will these two actors find
themselves in their next endeavor? Having moved from bad girl
goes good when good man acts bad in "Pretty Woman" to catch
the brassy bride before she bolts from the building in "Runaway
Bride", one can almost imagine that the next time around,
probably in another ten years, they'll be appearing as a married
bourgeois couple living in the suburbs with fourteen children
smiling and washing the dirty nappies in "Pretty Gritty".
Let's face it, nobody in their right mind would put up with a
woman who had already run out on the groom (at the wedding,
no less) on four previous occasions. And if they're stupid
enough to take on the challenge, they deserve the
repercussions.
A spoonful of sugar makes the wedding vows go down.
Joan Cusack shines in her role (as she does on occasion) as
Peggy, the happy, mildly attractive, gentle, humorous, and
understanding friend. She enjoys her own special moment
when she rather appropriately discusses the difference between
a weird and quirky personality. She manages to add some
depth to the otherwise random shallows of the script.
Director Garry Marshall knows how match up all the ingredients
in order to bowl the audience over. Love, beautiful people,
love, humorous people, love, down-to-earth people, love, urban
and rustic people, love, weddings and lots of funny dialogue.
There are, as usual in any Marshall film, some fantastic one-
liners (such as the comment of Hector Elizondo as Julia
Roberts rides away down the road in a van.) Weddings may
prove a delight to all who watch them (as Marshall himself
admits), but they're not a sure bet. Astounding and unexpected
as the success of that other film, which included four weddings
(forgetting the funeral for the moment), may have been, this film
has not ensured itself an equally astounding reception by
adding one more wedding to the list. Yes, when all is said and
done, this movie has five weddings, folks, but that in itself would
have proven to be a less interesting title. On the other hand,
it's a Garry Marshall film, so it's bound to be a runaway
success.
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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