Themes: Starting Over, Death of a Partner, Eccentric Families
Main Cast: David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, James Belushi, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Barnes, David Alan Grier, Carroll O'Connor
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In this romantic comedy, a man loses the love of his life, only to find her heart beating in the body of someone new. Architect Bob Rueland (David Duchovny) is happily married until his wife Elizabeth (Joely Richardson), a zoologist, dies in an auto accident. A year later, Bob is still dealing with his loss when he meets Grace Briggs (Minnie Driver), a shy woman who waits tables in an Irish/Italian restaurant run by her grandfather Marty (Carroll O'Connor). Bob falls for Grace at first sight, and she's attracted to him as well, but what he doesn't know is that a year ago Grace was the recipient of a heart transplant -- and that Elizabeth was the donor. Return to Me was directed and co-written by actress Bonnie Hunt, who also appears in a supporting role as Grace's best friend Megan; the cast also includes Robert Loggia, James Belushi, and David Alan Grier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
The directorial debut of respected actress Bonnie Hunt, Return to Me is a polished and skillfully realized romantic comedy that literally reverses the tearjerker formula by placing its tragic death at the film's beginning rather than the conclusion. Instead of a tale of doomed romance, Hunt has created (with her writing partner Don Lake, who also appears in a humorous cameo), a story that's not exactly the high-concept Hollywood standard: the journey of two people slowly and intelligently putting their lives back together. The director, who cast the film with many of her personal friends from the acting community, pulls fully engaged, grounded performances from her film's protagonists, David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. Driver has earned her chops in this genre with hits such as Circle of Friends (1995) and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), but Duchovny, noted for his trademark icy reserve, is a revelation as a man with a deeply painful emotional life. An underrated gem that deserved more attention from critics and audiences, Return to Me marks the freshman project of a filmmaker with a promising future behind the camera. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Bonnie Hunt - Megan Dayton; Eddie Jones - Emmett McFadden; Holly Biniak - Big Hair; Robert Loggia - Angelo Pardipillo; LaTaunya Bounds - Zebra Girl; Marianne Muellerleile - Sophie; Jack Cooper - Ballroom Bartender; Dick Cusack - Mr. Bennington; Joely Richardson - Elizabeth Rueland; Rudy Gabor - Italian Singer; Romano Ghini - Cappucino Man; Joey Gian - Singer; Austin Samuel Hibbs - Austin Dayton; Brian Howe - Mike; Alice Hunt - Nancy; Carol Hunt - Nurse Alice; Kevin Hunt - ER Doctor; Patrick Hunt - Danny; Tom Hunt - Tom; Walter Jacobs - M.C.; Franklin E. Jones - Chester; Claire Lake - ER Nurse; Don Lake - Transplant Man; Laura Larsen - Laura Dayton; Tim O'Malley - Patrick; David Pasquesi - Tony; Karson Pound - Karson Dayton; Angelo Ricco - Italian Singer; Paola Sebastiani - Nurse; Tom Senderak - Paramedic; Peter B. Spector - Valet Guy; Tyler Spitzer - Tyler Dayton; Adam Tanguay - Adam Dayton; Harry Teinowitz - Ice Cream Clerk; Jennie Lew-Tugend - Paramedic; Tamara Tungate - Celia; Becky Veduccio - Shari; Tom Virtue - Dr. Senderak; Lilliana Vitale - Nun; Darryl Warren - Father Rudy; Holly Wortell - Marsha; William Zirko - Italian Singer; William Bronder - Wally Jatczak; Lindsey Allen - Delivery Girl; Alan Gresik's Swing Shift Orchestra - AG Orchestra; Gabriella Arena - Nun; Edward Ballog - Italian Singer
Credit
David W. Krummel - Art Director, Mali Finn - Casting, Lis Bothwell - Costume Designer, Artist Robinson - First Assistant Director, Bonnie Hunt - Director, Garth Craven - Editor, C.O. Erickson - Executive Producer, Melanie Greene - Executive Producer, Nicholas Pike - Composer (Music Score), Brent Thomas - Production Designer, Laszlo Kovacs - Cinematographer, Jennie Lew Tugend - Producer, Kerry Sanders - Set Designer, Daniel Clancy - Set Designer, Robert Grieve - Sound Editor, Scott D. Smith - Sound Recordist, Bonnie Hunt - Screen Story, Don Lake - Screen Story, Samantha Goodman - Screen Story, Andrew Stern - Screen Story, Bonnie Hunt - Screenwriter, Don Lake - Screenwriter, Joel Sill - Executive Music Producer
The story begins with scenes at the zoo where Elizabeth works, and of Elizabeth's husband Bob in his work as an architect. After a fund-raiser for the zoo, Elizabeth is killed in a tragic car accident. Sometime later Bob meets Grace, who coincidentally was in the same hospital in which Elizabeth died. Grace was waiting for a heart transplant. Bob's wife donates her heart and it is given to Grace. Having been given a second chance at life, Grace is forever grateful and begins to enjoy life again. She writes anonymously to Bob thanking him for the organ and the new life, at this point she does not know him personally yet. Bob is heartbroken from his loss and goes into a state of depression until one night he shows up at a restaurant on a blind date set up by his best friend Charlie.There he immediately falls in love with the waitress, Grace. The two start to spend time together and are blissfully in love until Grace uncovers her handwritten thank-you note in Bob's house and realizes what has happened. She is horrified that she has his dead wife's heart, and tries to apologize. When Grace tells Bob, he is torn and must make a decision to live in the past with his wife or move on and begin to love Grace as well. A romantic happily-ever-after ending follows as they meet in Rome, and their struggle for love is over.
This film gets its title from the Dean Martin recording of the same name. The voices of the female background singers are removed electronically for the film version.
Bonnie Hunt's directorial debut sold more copies to the airline industry than any other single film in history.[citation needed]
Many of the restaurant scenes in the movie were filmed at Twin Anchors, in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. The hospital scenes were filmed in Michael Reese Hospital.[citation needed]
