Main Cast: Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, Hank Azaria
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Studio mogul Joe Roth returns to his roots as a director with this romantic comedy co-written by Billy Crystal and starring Roth's longtime friend Julia Roberts. Crystal stars as Lee, a studio publicist desperately trying to keep several facts secret from reporters during a high-profile motion picture's press junket. Among the developments that Lee is trying to obscure from view: the film's eccentric director (Christopher Walken) has essentially hijacked the $87 million movie and isn't allowing anyone to view it. Also, the film's high-profile, real-life married co-stars Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Eddie Thomas (John Cusack) have acrimoniously split since filming (over Gwen's adulterous affair with Latin lover Hector (Hank Azaria). Lee has led the press to believe that reconciliation is imminent, when in fact Gwen hates Eddie more than ever. Lee's secret weapon in his campaign of misinformation is Gwen's long-abused sister Kiki (Julia Roberts), who works as the pampered star's personal assistant while secretly pining for Eddie, who might just notice Kiki now that she's lost 60 pounds. America's Sweethearts co-stars Alan Arkin, Seth Green, and Stanley Tucci. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Stanley Tucci - Dave Kingman; Christopher Walken - Hal Weidmann; Seth Green - Danny Wax; Alan Arkin - Wellness Guide; Scott Zeller - Davis; Larry King - Himself; Steve Pink - Limo Driver; Rainn Wilson - Dave O'Hanlon; Eric Balfour - Security Guard; Marty Belafsky - Security Guard; Keri Lynn Pratt - Leaf; Maria Canals - Adinah; Charley Steiner - Nevada Anchorman; Shaun Robinson - Nevada Anchorwoman; Jeff Michael - Network Anchor; Siblia Vargas - Reporter; Jane Yamamoto - Reporter On Patio; Byron Allen - Himself; Wendy Schenker - Maura Klein; Jim Ferguson - Mort Josephson; Lisa Joyner - Laura Messinger; Patrick Stoner - Bob; Sam Rubin - Ken; Susan Katz - Interviewer; Amber Barretto - Alison; Alexander Enberg - Larry King Producer; Sarah Loew - Larry King Producer; Joseph Feingold - Judge; Sherry Jennings - Bar Hostess; Julie Sorrels - Mother; Austin L. Sorrels - Little Boy; Julie Wagner - Caller #1; Leilani Muenter - Caller #2; Dimitri Moraitis - Agent; Shawn Driscoll - Sean; Misti See - Misti; Gail Laskowski - Gail
Credit
Chris Cornwell - Supervising Art Director, Junie Lowry-Johnson - Casting, Libby Goldstein - Casting, Sandy DeCrescent - Consultant/advisor, Pete Anthony - Conductor, Bruce A. Block - Co-producer, Allegra Clegg - Co-producer, Jeffrey Kurland - Costume Designer, Ellen Mirojnick - Costume Designer, Geoffrey Hansen - First Assistant Director, Joe Roth - Director, Stephen A. Rotter - Editor, Charles James Newirth - Executive Producer, Peter Tolan - Executive Producer, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Brad Dechter - Musical Arrangement, Kathy Nelson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Greg Cannom - Makeup Special Effects, Keith Vanderlaan - Makeup Special Effects, Garreth Stover - Production Designer, Phedon Papamichael - Cinematographer, Susan Arnold - Producer, Billy Crystal - Producer, Donna Arkoff Roth - Producer, Colin de Rouin - Set Designer, Larry Dias - Set Designer, Barbara Mesney - Set Designer, Beck Taylor - Set Designer, Sony Pictures Imageworks - Special Effects, Robert Eber - Sound/Sound Designer, Billy Crystal - Screenwriter, Peter Tolan - Screenwriter, Alexei O'Brien - Production Assistant, Laura Smith - Production Assistant, Carey Grant Villegas - Visual Effects Supervisor, David Olson - Music Editor, Angie Rubin - Music Editor, Carey Len Smith - Post Production Supervisor, Mary Kim - Production Supervisor, Gary Bourgeois - Re-Recording Mixer, Greg Orloff - Re-Recording Mixer, Charles Maynes - Sound Effects Director, Jonathon Klein - Sound Effects Director, Bart Giovannetti - Supervising Animator, David Giammarco - Supervising Sound Editor, Julie Feiner - ADR Editor, Howard - ADR Mixer, Greg Steele - ADR Mixer, Diane Lucas - ADR Recordist, Joe Schiff - Assistant Sound Editor, Cherie Tamai - Assistant Sound Editor, George Anderson - Dialogue Editor, Carin Rogers - Dialogue Editor, Gary A. Hecker - Foley Artist, Matthew Dettmann - Foley Artist, Christine Danelski - Foley Editor, David Lowery - Storyboard Artist, Sony Pictures Imageworks - Visual Effects, The Reel Team - ADR Loop Group, Boyd Steer - Negative Cutter, Guy T. Wiedmann - Visual Effects Editor, Nancy Evans - Rotoscope Artist, Andrew Goldstein - Rotoscope Artist, James Valentine - Rotoscope Artist
Lee Phillips (Crystal) is a movie publicist with a major problem with movie stars Gwen Harrison (Zeta-Jones) and Eddie Thomas (Cusack), who are known as "America's Sweethearts". The couple have recently split, with Gwen pairing up with a Spanish actor, Hector (Azaria), and Eddie in a rest home, getting therapy. Hal Weidmann (Walken), the eccentric director of latest film, has demanded that the first viewing of the film - before even anyone at the studio sees it - be at a press junket. Lee's job is to keep up the illusion that Gwen and Eddie are still a couple, getting them back together at least until the press junket for the movie.
Complicating matters is the fact that Eddie is starting to fall for Gwen's personal assistant, Kiki (Roberts), who is also Gwen's sister. When the movie is finally shown at the press junket, the actors and others involved with film, and the press, discover to their horror that Weidmann essentially junked the script and instead delivered a movie composed of footage shot making the movie - much taken without the actors' knowledge. Essentially, Weidmann has delivered Hollywood's first "Reality Movie". The footage shows Gwen as conniving and manipulative and Eddie as a man slowly becoming more and more paranoid as he (correctly) suspects his wife is having an affair.
Gwen attempts to resolve the situation by announcing the couple is reuniting, but Eddie finds the courage to admit his love for Kiki.
Reviews for America's Sweethearts were mixed as the film holds a 31% at Rotten Tomatoes. Critic's consensus was, "Despite its famous cast, the movie lacks sympathetic characters and is only funny in spurts." Roger Ebert gave it 2 out of 4 stars.
Box office performance
The film was a box office success and grossed over $138 million worldwide.[1]
