MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:40 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right
| America’s Sweethearts Movie Stats & Links |
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| Starring: | John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, Christopher Walken |
| MPAA Rated: | PG-13 |
| Released By: | Columbia Pictures |
| Kiddie Movie: | It’s adult humor. |
| Date Movie: | She’ll make you take her, but it is kind of funny. |
| Gratuitous Sex: | Some bras and talk. |
| Gratuitous Violence: | Some people fight. |
| Action: | Nah. |
| Laughs: | Lots of them. |
| Memorable Scene: | Most of the movie was alright. |
| Memorable Quote: | Both by Eddie (Cusack). While at the wellness center: “Dear Mom, Fuck you.” And during a press junket: “We’ve done a couple of three-ways.” |
| Directed By: | Joe Roth |
I’m still trying to figure out just why I liked “America’s Sweethearts.” The movie was predictable, the lines generic, and had a crotch-licking doberman. But in the end it might have just been so over-the-top cute that I enjoyed it just like most of the people in the theater seemed to.
The movie has a lot of things going on… Gwen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Eddie (John Cusack) were Hollywood sweethearts, and as long as they were sweethearts their films did well. Then Gwen ends up cheating on Eddie with another co-star, Hector (Hank Azaria), Eddie ends up in a wellness center, and Gwen’s career is fading fast. But they’ve got a movie coming out soon directed by the eccentric Hal (Christopher Walken), only Hal won’t let the movie studio see the film until it is shown to the press. The movie heads have a problem – how to hold a press junket for a movie the press haven’t seen yet and how to get Gwen and Eddie to at least pretend they’re back together. So they re-hire the just-fired Lee (Billy Crystal), a whiz at the publicity spin-machine.
Well, Lee concocts a press junket at a secluded resort so they can wine and dine the press and make them forget about the movie, and he also tricks Gwen and Eddie into going to the junket and going through the motions. Included in all of this is Kiki (Julia Roberts), Gwen’s sister and pseudo-assistant, who has a crush on Eddie. Put it all together and the hilarity ensues as Eddie still thinks he can get Gwen back, Kiki keeps putting up with Gwen’s shit, Lee keeps spinning the publicity machine, Kiki sleeps with Eddie, Eddie almost dies, and Hal shows up with a movie that would actually be a pretty funny movie in its own right if it could ever be done.
This is a movie trying to make fun at the movie-studio publicity machine and how America gets wrapped up in some pretty obnoxious people. Gwen is the epitome of the spoiled star, expecting everything to be done for her, even getting her teeth brushed, yet somehow we love her. Eddie, on the other hand, is the sap, thinking a holistic wellness center could help him get over Gwen. Then you’ve got Kiki, the abused assistant who would probably quit except she’s Gwen’s sister. Now toss in Lee, the publicist who loves you as a friend but will still leak a security tape to the press where it looks like you’re masturbating if he thinks it will help the film.
In “America’s Sweethearts” you get a love quadrangle, a predictable ending, but a lot of jokes that are just plain funny. Sure, the movie could have made a little more fun of the press people who go to press junkets, but in the end this was a romantic comedy for Julia Roberts and John Cusack mixed with your wondering if Catherine Zeta-Jones might be a little like Gwen in real life.
So, to wrap this up, if you’re looking for a cute, romantic comedy then “America’s Sweethearts” ranks up there with rest of them – you know what you are going to get and just hope to get some good laughs along with it. In this movie you get it. It’s 4 Stars out of 5 for “America’s Sweethearts.”
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!