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All-Reviews.com Movie/Video Review
Runaway Bride
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  out of 4
Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
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Ever since "Pretty Woman," Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, and
director Garry Marshall have been looking for another project, and
this screwball romantic fantasy seems to fit the bill. No, it's not a
sequel. It's an entirely different story. Roberts plays Maggie, a
small-town charmer who has left three grooms at the altar - a fact
that is exaggerated in USA TODAY by a cynical New York columnist, Ike
Graham (think Jimmy Breslin) - that's Gere - who bitterly dubs her a
"man-eater." She complains to his editor (Rita Wilson), who is also
his ex-wife, citing just cause for a defamation lawsuit. He promptly
gets fired for exploitive journalism. Determined to vindicate himself
and uncover the "real story" for GQ magazine, Ike shows up in bucolic
Hale, Maryland, just as Maggie is preparing to marry groom #4, the
high-school physical education teacher/coach. "Shazam! It's
Mayberry," he mutters just before the barbershop quartet starts.
Ike's acerbic; Maggie's defensive. They spar and spat with incredible
finesse. But will she bolt once more? No one knows, even her widower
father (Paul Dooley) who notes, "Maggie may not be Hale's longest
running joke, but she's certainly the fastest." Eventually, Maggie
realizes "there's a distinct possibility that I'm profoundly,
irreversibly screwed-up." The screenplay by Josann McGibbon, Sara
Parriott, and Audrey Wells leaves little doubt in your mind about the
outcome but it's deliciously amusing getting there. On the Granger
Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Runaway Bride" is a glowing, breezy 8. It's
not as quirky and witty as "Notting Hill," Roberts' most recent
romantic comedy, and not in the same league as "Pretty Woman." But
Gere's glossy and gorgeous, and it's flirty, feel-good fun from
beginning to end - a date movie or chick's flick.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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