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Review by Susan Granger
2 stars out of 4
Tinged with traces of "Love Story," "Ghost" and "Moonstruck,"
this romantic comedy has its moments - but, unfortunately, most of
them turn out to be sappy. David Duchovny doffs his "X-Files" Fox
Mulder persona to play a successful Chicago architectural engineer
whose wife (Joely Richardson), an ardent zoologist who works with
primates, dies in an automobile accident in one of the early scenes of
the picture. While he's still blood-stained and grief-stricken, his
wife's heart is transplanted into Minnie Driver, who's a shy, naive
waitress working in her family's Irish-Italian restaurant. Despite the
bizarre circumstances, you know that these two are eventually gonna
meet and fall in love. Predictability and foreshadowing weigh heavily
on the script written by Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake. Perhaps a more
experienced director could have quickened the pace, trimmed some
scenes, and meshed the elements better - but inexperienced Bonnie Hunt
helms her own material. In addition, she co-stars, as Driver's
confidante and wife of Jim Belushi, and she's cast at least four
relatives named Hunt in supporting parts. It's like a congenial family
movie under a big studio banner. Despite its lack of focus, it is
amusing to watch it unfold, particularly when senior pros like Robert
Loggia and Carroll O'Connor are bantering about old singers, old
songs, etc., since the title song comes from a vintage Dean Martin
ballad. David Duchovny and Minnie Driver are charming to watch; one
just wishes they had wittier, more sophisticated material to work
with. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Return to Me" is a sweet
but stumbling 5. Ah, the fickle finger of fate!
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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