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Who are the best
comic actresses in movies today? Meg Ryan, Joan
Cusack, Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra
Bullock, and Miss Piggy come to mind. But, after
watching Julia Roberts in RUNAWAY BRIDE, she moves
to the top of my list. Her exquisitely amusing
reactions when trying to compose herself after
ringing a church bell like Quisimodo (while
co-star Richard Gere mutters, "Sanctuary,
sanctuary.") make her worthy of this honor. That
one scene alone is worth the price of admission.
Happily, Roberts is just as funny in many other
sequences, including four hilarious "walk down the
aisle" fiascos. Roberts describes Maggie
Carpenter, the character she plays, as "really a
kind of normal small town girl who, for many
different reasons over the course of several
years, has become increasingly psychotic in her
behavior."
Because of her willingness to be whatever the man
in her life wants wants her to be, Maggie has no
trouble getting engaged. However, her fear of
commitment seems to prevent her from going through
with the wedding ceremony. After leaving three
different men at the altar, she is getting ready
to try a fourth time when New York columnist Ike
Graham (Richard Gere) enters her life.
Ike has called Maggie a "maneater" in one of his
columns and predicts she will walk out again on
her latest victim. Naturally, when he appears in
Maggie’s home town to chronicle the proceedings,
the two become attracted to each other. (After
all, these are the famous lovers from PRETTY
WOMAN) The predictablility of this romantic comedy
in no way detracts from its humorous charm. Even
Gere, whose talents are better served in dramas
like PRIMAL FEAR and RED CORNER, manages to get a
few laughs as a recovering misogynist, especially
when being attacked by irate little old ladies.
Oscar-winner Joan Cusack (IN AND OUT) makes a
perfect best friend for the heroine, and Laurie
Metcalf (formerly on TV's "Roseanne") hams it up
delightfully in a memorable cameo. Both Rita
Wilson (SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE) and Hector Elizondo
(TORTILLA SOUP) do their usual fine work, this
time as Ike’s ex-wife and understanding husband.
Director Garry Marshall, who also helmed PRETTY
WOMAN, succeeds in creating just the right small
town feeling for RUNAWAY BRIDE. As Gere’s
character observes upon arriving in Hale,
Maryland, "I must be in Mayberry." In keeping with
this nostalgic atmosphere, Marshall wisely
declined to include scenes of explicit sex and
gratuitous violence, proving once again that these
elements are not necessary for an entertaining
movie. Of course, casting the incomparable Julia
Roberts in a starring role helps too.
(Released by Paramount Pictures/Touchstone
Pictures and rated "PG" for mild profanity and
sexual innuendo.)
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