This was a pretty good romantic comedy, though two things bothered me about it. Our heroine is Julia Roberts. Heroine??? She's actually being quite despicable in this role -- actively deceiving everyone in an attempt to steal a man who is "her best friend" from his fiancé, a rather sweet person, even though she had years to marry the guy! And, to a large extent, her actions are simply out of spite. I guess her turn for the better in the climax is supposed to restore her goodness to our eyes...but it didn't quite work for me. The other issue I had about the movie was that it seemed long, although it comes in at only 105 minutes...and I'm not quite sure what I would have edited out. Maybe it was just my mood that evening.
Now despite my reservations, I still classify this as a pretty good film. Perhaps more because of the acting than the plot. Let's face it, Julia Roberts -- nice or not -- is pretty hard to beat. I was pleasantly surprised by Dermot Mulroney; I never paid him much attention, but he is REALLY good here! It almost seemed as he was living the part, rather than acting it. Cameron Diaz is surprisingly charming here as the fiancé; perhaps we have typecast her in other types of roles; I enjoyed her performance. And, Rupert Everett is along as the "heroines" best gay friend...I think he had a copyright on that kind of role. And the supporting cast does very nicely, although no one stands out (but there is an early role here as a bellboy for Paul Giamatti).
Is this a great film? No. But it's good. Definitely worth a watch...at least according to its nearly $300 million box office.
Now despite my reservations, I still classify this as a pretty good film. Perhaps more because of the acting than the plot. Let's face it, Julia Roberts -- nice or not -- is pretty hard to beat. I was pleasantly surprised by Dermot Mulroney; I never paid him much attention, but he is REALLY good here! It almost seemed as he was living the part, rather than acting it. Cameron Diaz is surprisingly charming here as the fiancé; perhaps we have typecast her in other types of roles; I enjoyed her performance. And, Rupert Everett is along as the "heroines" best gay friend...I think he had a copyright on that kind of role. And the supporting cast does very nicely, although no one stands out (but there is an early role here as a bellboy for Paul Giamatti).
Is this a great film? No. But it's good. Definitely worth a watch...at least according to its nearly $300 million box office.