Runaway Bride
by Lovell Mahan-Moutaw
Ah Romance Part II
There was a time when I thought Roberts' range might be limited. Then
I saw her play a calm, composed and utterly vicious bitch on an episode
of Law and Order. I shouldn't have been surprised at her being
able to pull off Pretty Woman, Part Deux, but I was.
Runaway Bride is such a wonderful romance, I wanted to turn around,
buy another ticket and watch it again.
***
Everyone has heard the story. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts together
again. This time he is a journalist who skewers women in his column. He
discovers a woman who has left a different groom at the altar three times
and is planning on attempting to marry again. He goes to her town to cover
this event and ends up falling for the Runaway Bride.
***
I shouldn't give Roberts all the credit. I should do more than mention
Gere. If these two don't hold great affection for each other in real life,
they are far better actors than expected. I have not noted a chemistry
as strong between two romantic leads since Pretty Woman, until,
as silly as it sounds, well...now. When Richard Gere looks at Julia Roberts,
she seems to shine more than she actually does (which is quite a bit).
Gere, pretty damn fine to look at himself, is like an excellent dancer.
His talent is to highlight the woman and show us what she can do. She's
all over the place with fun and spunk, and he just crinkles his eyes and
laughs, making her seem all the more adorable. This, I think, takes a
great knack and a certain amount of generosity.
***
***
All credit does not belong to Roberts and Gere. The town chosen to play
location for Maggie's hometown is pure charm.
Then there is Joan Cusack who plays Maggie's best friend. I have yet
to see Cusack not steal a scene, even from a scene-stealer such as Roberts.
Then there is the director, Garry Marshall, who also directed Pretty
Woman, and is smart enough to nod to it on a variety of witty occasions.
Finally, there is the story. Like Pretty Woman, it goes beyond
romance. In that film, Vivian (Roberts) finds that regardless of past
mistakes, you can live the dream and expect the best for yourself. Runaway
Bride has much the same self-discovery for our heroine...that the
search for love does not include losing yourself.
***
I didn't want to compare Runaway Bride to Pretty Woman,
but I can't help myself. Time will show Pretty Woman as a classic
and maybe even revered romantic comedy. I think Runaway Bride is
headed for this same distinguished fate. It is hilariously funny and unabashedly
romantic and dares to tell a complete story that has a moral to its tale.
It packs star power, which seems to be something lacking in films these
days. It is familiar to us, yet new - and, above all, it is entertaining.
And it has Julia Roberts, who, with the aging of Ford and the fall of
Cruise, is our only great, shining, bright Movie Star. In a tale like
this, nobody does it better.
Ah, romance.
Lovell Mahan-Moutaw
I think Julia Roberts is talented. I think she can act. What's more, she's
a movie star. She is so breathtakingly charismatic and beautiful that
I find it almost painful to watch her. This is mainly due to sheer jealousy
but also something akin to love.
Runaway
Bride runs deeper than just romance. Although our perpetual bride,
Maggie, takes the jokes with great aplomb, their cruelty begins to show
and they wear thin for both Maggie, her reporter-nemesis/lover Ike, and
for us. Our heroine has a sadness to her which we slowly realize. That
spark she throws off is the result of a great deal of effort. As we watch
scenes from her first three weddings, we get a hint of why Maggie is unable
to commit to the walk down the aisle. Through the film, this concept is
brought into focus for us and for Ike, as it delves gently into its characters.
CineScene
August, 1999