| America's Sweethearts |
 |
|
 |
| Rating: Fair Distributor: Warner Bros. MPAA Rating: PG-13 Release Date: July 20th, 2001 (wide) Running Length: 1 hour, 43 minutes Genre: Comedy, Romance, Satire Director: Joe Roth Cast: Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Crystal, Stanley Tucci, Seth Green, Christopher Walken, and Hank Azaria. |
| Plot: A glamorous movie couple, Eddie and Gwen (John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones), made one last film before going completely separate ways. They made many hit films, however now Eddie is in a mental institution, and Gwen has failed in the box office after their separation. Nonetheless, a studio head (Stanley Tucci), needs the last, unreleased film to be a success. The problem is the director (Christopher Walken) refuses to let anyone see the film (he's an unusual, if unstable man), and insists on playing games with the producer. He insists that to show the film the producer first needs to get Gwen and Eddie together for a press junket. To do that the producer assigns his publicist (Billy Crystal) to the task. In time, Eddie falls in love with Kiki (Julia Roberts), Gwen's sister. However, must find a way to forget Gwen before pursuing a relationship with Kiki. |
| Critique: With star power and a solid amount of funny jokes, America's Sweethearts has a strong basis to build on. However, through sloppy filmmaking, and an unconvincing conflict the film is not effective enough to recommend. The film is also poorly staged, and does not use its extras very well. The protagonists and all the central figures seem strangely isolated from the rest of the world. Thus, their plights seem paper thin, and the interactions seem fake. The film also lacks any soul; it is very hollow. Although the cast is impressive, the casting is not. There are several questionable desicions that plague the film. No one in their right mind should accept Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones to be sisters, and Hank Azaria should not have been cast as Catherine Zeta-Jones's new boyfriend. America's Sweethearts refuses to tread any new romantic ground. Thus, the serious segment of its storytelling is weak. Also, its satire is hypocritical, as the show businness community it depicts is no more shallow than the film itself. The film's strengths lie in individual moments of hilarity, or amusement. Many of the primary jokes are fine; the film can be fairly witty at times. However, it is not so wonderfully witty that its comedy can save itself from its overwhelming flaws. 'Sweethearts' often felt vague, and it has no details. Its characters have no believability; they are not real to life. In conclusion, America's Sweethearts is an honorable attempts at a good time. It is often funny, and its star power is a very beneficial asset. However it is too sloppy and vague to be sweat or warm, and ends up being an unconvincing, often cliched mess. I do not recommend America's Sweethearts, it is an average film. review by supernothingman |