Themes: Wedding Bells, Schemes and Ruses, Unrequited Love
Main Cast: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco
Release Year: 1997
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
A woman realizes that friends can be lovers, but now has to convince the friend in question in this romantic comedy. Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney) and Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) were romantically involved in college, and after breaking up, they have managed to remain close friends. For years, Julianne and Michael have had a pledge that if both were single when they turned 28, they would get married. Shortly before her 28th birthday, Julianne is lamenting the sad state of her love life when she gets a call from Michael, who announces that he has important news. Julianne is convinced that Michael is going to ask her to marry him, and she is crestfallen when he announces that he's engaged to Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz). Kimmy seems like the perfect woman for Michael; she's sweet, pretty, bright, and adores Michael, and her wealthy family is just as fond of him as she is. But now that Julianne has realized how much she loves Michael, she's not about to give him up without a fight -- and isn't afraid to fight dirty. Julianne's uneasy ally in the battle for Michael's affections is her friend and editor George Downes (Rupert Everett), a cheerfully out-of-the-closet homosexual who is not prepared when Julianne asks him to pose as her boyfriend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
While it has its mawkish moments, this is a surprisingly cynical and acidic picture, with its jaded view of romance apparent from the satirical opening titles. Julia Roberts -- in her best role in years -- plays a woman who made a bargain with best friend Dermot Mulroney to marry at age 28 if they weren't already wed. When Mulroney decides to tie the knot with sweet Cameron Diaz, Roberts goes nuts and vows to sabotage the wedding. Rupert Everett is terrific as Roberts' gay confidant, and there are some surprising scenes, including a woman with her tongue stuck to an ice sculpture in a most untoward location. It was a huge hit at the box office, with enough genuine romance to satisfy purists and enough bite for those with a slightly different attitude. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Karen Fletcher-Trujillo - Art Director, Patricia Cullen - Associate Producer, Bill Johnson - Associate Producer, Christopher O'Donnell - Boom Operator, David Rubin - Casting, Toni Basil - Choreography, Artie Kane - Conductor, Jeffrey Kurland - Costume Designer, Eric Heffron - First Assistant Director, P.J. Hogan - Director, Garth Craven - Editor, Lisa Fruchtman - Editor, Gil Netter - Executive Producer, Patricia Whitcher - Executive Producer, Lyndell Quiyou - Hair Styles, Anne Morgan - Hair Styles, Deborah Dee - Hair Styles, Don J. Hug - Location Manager, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Brad Dechter - Musical Arrangement, Bonnie Greenberg - Musical Direction/Supervision, Burt Bacharach - Songwriter, Francis Lai - Songwriter, Teresa M. Austin - Makeup, Richard Dean - Makeup, Linda Melazzo - Makeup, Bradley Stenson - Makeup, Gerrit Dangremond - Camera Operator, George Kohut - Camera Operator, Neal Norton - Camera Operator, Richard Sylbert - Production Designer, Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer, Ronald Bass - Producer, Jerry Zucker - Producer, Kurt Sharp - Set Designer, Ed Novick - Sound/Sound Designer, Duncan Burns - Sound Editor, Alison Fisher - Sound Editor, Richard Burton - Sound Editor, Scot Tinsley - Sound Editor, Thom Brennan - Sound Editor, Michael Magill - Sound Editor, Eddie Fernandez - Stunts, Tom Lowell - Stunts, Kay H. Whipple - Stunts, James Fierro - Stunts, Stacy Logan - Stunts, Carl Paoli - Stunts, Linda Perlin - Stunts, Dan Maldonado - Stunts, Brian Christensen - Stunts, Jeff Williams - Stunts, Rick LeFevour - Stunts Coordinator, Patricia Whitcher - Unit Production Manager, Ronald Bass - Screenwriter, Don Julien - Production Assistant, Eric A. Pot - Production Assistant, Basti Van Der Woude - Production Assistant, Dana Armonda - Production Assistant, Todd Bachmann - Production Assistant, David Gorder - Production Assistant, Melissa Silverman - Production Assistant, Cristiana Caimmi - Publicist, Nancy Seltzer - Publicist, Stanley Brossette - Unit Publicist, Bob Wiatr - Digital Effects, Ruth Hasty - Associate Editor, Dennis Seawright - First Assistant Camera, Morgan Michael Lewis - Key Grip, Andrew Silver - Music Editor, Lizard Brown - Production Coordinator, Paddy Cullen - Production Supervisor, William Dambra - Properties Master, Rick Kline - Re-Recording Mixer, Greg Orloff - Re-Recording Mixer, Gregory H. Watkins - Re-Recording Mixer, Druann Carlson - Script Supervisor, Richard Oswald - Second Assistant Director, Tom Ryba - Special Effects Coordinator, Suzanne Tenner - Still Photographer, John Morris - Supervising Sound Editor, Shoshana Rubin - Costume/Wardrobe, Eileen McCahill - Costume/Wardrobe, Gina Marie Ome - Costume/Wardrobe, Frances Vega-Buck - Costume/Wardrobe, Cliff Latimer - ADR Editor, John W. Glaser III - Assistant Costumer Designer, Margaret J. Orlando - Assistant Production Coordinator, Aaron Holden - Assistant Properties, David J. Chamerski - Assistant Properties, Ali Derakhshan - Assistant Sound Editor, Karen Minahan - Assistant Sound Editor, Tricia Linklater - Assistant Sound Editor, John Hudecek - Best Boy Electric, Chris Freres - Best Boy Grip, Steven Silverstein - Camera Loader, Ronna Kress - Casting Associate, Tracy Kaplan - Casting Associate, Richmond Guilar - Chief Lighting Technician, Roger Irvin - Construction Coordinator, Susan Kaufmann - Costumes Supervisor, Fernando Briones - Dolly Grip, Joshua Ornstein - First Assistant Accountant, Derrick Mitchell - First Assistant Editor, Alicia Stevenson - Foley Artist, Dawn Finter - Foley Artist, David Van Slyke - Foley Artist, Pedro Barquin - Greensman, Daniel Clancy - Leadman, Quentin Matthys - Leadman, Alison Cannon - Production Accountant, Daniel Turek - Second Assistant Camera, Penny Lee Hallin - Second Assistant Editor, Jeff Beattie - Second Assistant Editor, Richard S. Lederer - Second Second Assistant Director, Kevin Maxwell - Transportation Captain, Joseph Paoletti - Transportation Captain, Armand Paoletti - Transportation Coordinator, William Kemper Wright - Set Decorator, Harris Kimberly - ADR Supervisor, Barbara Harris - ADR Voice Casting, John Crisman - Construction Foreman, Raymond Bulinski - Craft Service/Catering, Susan Kreutz - Craft Service/Catering, David Betancourt - Foley Mixer, Mo Henry - Negative Cutter, Erika Lindberg - Production Secretary, Kathryn Madden - Set Medic/First Aid, Don Riozz McNichols - Special Effects Foreman, Kevin P. Boyd - Video Assist, Wenden K. Baldwin - Title Design, Brent Brooks - Assistant Music Editor
