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America's Sweethearts

America's Sweethearts

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It Wasn't Too Bad Actually.
Review: America's Sweethearts was panned by everyone when it came out. But I thought that the film was so bad, that it was really quite good. The plot was lame, but it grew on you by a really great deal. The acting was OK, Zeta-Jones did a pretty good job in her role as Gwen actually. There were a few really funny parts also.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What happened?
Review: You would think that with this cast the movie would be good. But a bad story and script can't be saved no mattered how good an actor is or how big of a star they are. There are a few funny parts but not many. The movie is mostly very bland and boring.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. It was funny and romantic. I normally don't care for Billy Crystal, but he was really good in this movie. John and Julia were great as usual. Just a light-hearted feel-good movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hit or miss comedy
Review: This farcical lampoon of Hollywood publicity, paparazzi, and affectation has its funny moments, but overall comes up short. It is a story of two formerly married stars that made numerous successful films together, but have now separated. Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a pouty and manipulative shrew who left her husband and co-star Eddie Thomas (John Cusack) to cavort with her Spanish lover Hector (Hank Azaria). They must come together to promote the last film they made together before the breakup. Lee Phillips (Billy Crystal) is the studio's representative assigned the task of promoting the film with the help of Kiki Harrison (Julia Roberts), Gwen's sister and agent. Together they must create the illusion that Eddie and Gwen are still America's Sweethearts.

The screenplay was written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan ("The Larry Sanders Show", "Analyze This", "Bedazzled"). One can almost tell which scenes are written by whom. Most of Billy Crystal's scenes are obviously written by him (probably improvisationally on the set) in his deadpan sarcastic and ironic style. These are generally the funniest scenes in the film. However, much of the film just drags on attempting to be funny, but clumsily laying egg after egg. The way Eddie is written, he is just a bit too pathetic and Gwen is simply abrasive. The "surprise" ending by eccentric director Hal Weidmann (Christopher Walken) is more bizarre than comical.

Director Joe Roth is better known as a producer than a director, and despite having a terrific cast, he can't deliver comic consistency. The best comedy is delivered by Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts and Hank Azaria, who steals every scene he is in with his hilarious Spaniard impersonation. Crystal and Roberts are both veterans of the romantic comedy and together they form a solid base for the film. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a terrific dramatic actress, but just doesn't have the comic timing for this project. She overdoes her character's whimpering obnoxiousness to the point where it isn't at all funny. John Cusack is always good at playing the hapless soul, but his character is such a loser that Cusack has difficulty breathing much life into him. Hank Azaria is fantastic as the lisping Latin lover. Every time it seemed that the film was losing its edge, Azaria pulled it from the fire with another hysterical scene. Christopher Walken is also excellent as the whacked out director of the Eddie and Gwen film.

Overall, this is a fair comedy with some very funny moments separated by long boring stretches. I rated it a 6/10.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lighthearted comedy from John Cusack and Billy Crystal
Review: Once again, a movie by John Cusack that I love. Not too deep, I admit, yet not your typical chick flick. I didn't love Catherine Zeta-Jones' character, but given the storyline, that means she did a pretty good work, since she stars as a despisable Hollywood diva who used to be married to Cusack. They both were the couple of the moment for a long time, and have since not had a movie hit on their own. Their studios are desperate for a hit and recently-fired PR superstar, Billy Crystal, is rehired to make them appear as a loving couple again on the verge of the launch of their last film together. The tricks he brings up are as hilarious as they are a total irony, in terms of how far can PR and media go, without regard for the lives of the actors and actresses. In the meantime, the most unexpected love emerges between Cusack and Julia Roberts, Zeta-Jones' sister in the movie, bringing about some additional dramatic yet funny situations.

Let's face it: this is not a five star movie. But it's a movie you'll have fun watching while kicking back on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Funny Movie! Lack Of Extras! Pricey DVD!
Review: Let's face it, when Julia Roberts does a romantic comedy, people can't help but go see it. After shooting to superstardom with Pretty Woman, Roberts slowly went downhill in the public's eye(save for Sleeping With The Enemy & The Pelican Brief) by opting for more serious film roles (Flatliners, Dying Young) and comedies (Ready To Wear, I Love Trouble)without a real working romance. After doing unsuccessful films(and I mean that as they didn't make money) like Mary Reilly & Something To Talk About, Julia finally returned to her roots, so to speak, by starring in the romantic comedy, My Best Friend's Wedding. It was a huge success for the actress and helped boost her career tremendously. Other romantic comedies followed (Notting Hill, Runaway Bride) and were also very successful. And with her Oscar winning role in Ellen Brockovitch, Julia was back on top. America's Sweethearts is a nice addition to her romantic comedy repertoire, casting her in a role of a woman living in the shadow of her sister's success (played deliciously stuck up by Catherine Zeta Douglas, errr Jones :-) and thereby feeling that she herself is not all that special. I think we like to see Julia in roles where she is very humble, even if the character is successful (like Notting Hill) or not (like this film), because we all know she's one of the most beautiful women on the planet, yet she has the ability to act very ordinary..even shy. You never feel that she thinks she's truly better than everybody else, and that's a fine quality I wish more people could have. I know John Cusack get's a lot of guff for always playing the role where he's somewhat of a loser or a burntout (he's been doing it since the early days with Say Anything & The Sure Thing), but I don't think you can say he's not good at it, what with all the practice. There is a definate chemistry between him and Roberts that resonates throughout the picture. The film is not afraid to poke fun at the movie industry, especially when a lot of the things depicted in the movie actually do happen in real life. You have many actors who think they're premadonnas. There's plenty of lying, cheating and stealing going on daily. But the film just pokes fun at these issues, sometimes going way over the top in the process (John's supposed suicide attempt is one of them). But with a movie like this all I can say is if you laugh most of the time and feel good when the two leads get together in the end, there's not much more you can ask for. It's a great date movie too! Go see it and enjoy.

The only dissapointment I had was with the DVD itself. The extra features are quite few. All you get are some deleted scenes (with an optional introduction by the director) that are pretty interesting (see what Hank Azaria was really doing in that bathtub :-). A big scene of Christopher Walkin's daughter in the film (Leaf)is shown (she pretty much throws herself at Cusack), but was cut because it seemed to hurt John's character for some reason. I noticed none of these deleted scenes involved Billy Crystal (it's good to be the writer and the producer :-). But other than some theatrical trailers of the film, My Best Friend's Wedding & The Mask Of Zorro, you get nothing else. And considering what Columbia/TriStar is charging for the DVD you do feel a bit cheated. It's way above the price range of what a DVD with few extra features would be sold for. I just hope they don't start acting like Paramount Pictures (the biggest DVD scrooges of them all!). My advice is to grab this movie while it's on sale. And Colunbia/TriStar...you'd do well to bring these prices down.

America's Sweethearts - Hollywood never tasted so yummy!

"No offense, Lee, you're a great guy...I mean you have some very nice qualities. But for a good review you'd sell my body to China for medical experiments" - John Cusack as Eddie Thomas

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Very mediocre movie
Review: With Billy Crystal and Julia Roberts, how can this film miss? Somehow it does! The characters are overdrawn and obvious, especially Julia Roberts as a willing slave to her sister, the famous movie star, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Actually Zeta-Jones has one of the more convincing performances, and comes across as a self-centered, selfish person, only interested in her own press clippings. John Cusack seems bemused and confused as the man in the middle of these two sisters. He seems to lack the very qualities which makes Zeta-Jones' performance interesting and convincing. Billy Crystal plays a man who is trying to bring the two stars back together in time for the opening of their new movie. He weaves in and out of the movie and his main job seems to be as a purveyor of tasteless jokes. The previews look interesting, but truly they contain the best scenes in the whole movie. Don't waste your time on this one unless you are such a Julia Roberts or Billy Crystal fan (as I am) that you have to find out for yourself.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It could be the worst movie I've seen besides High Fidelity
Review: This movie was bad. C.Z. Jones is a spoiled (...) in this movie and Cusak plays the same dopey, nobody loves me characted he plays in all of his movies. Billy Crystal was funny at times (first time since Throw Momma from the Train). My advice to anybody considering buying this movie is don't. Rent it if you must but you'll want your $3.75 rental fee back when it's over.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sweet Comedy with great cast!
Review: Where can you find Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Stanley Tucci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Hank Azaria in the same place? Here, in the movie America's Sweethearts. The initial premise of a married couple (John Cusack and Catherine Zea-Jones)garnering the country's attention by making movies together is a little loose, considering our cynical view on Hollywood, but thankfully, the story doesn't focus on them. Instead, it focuses on a budding relationship between John Cusack's character and Julia Robert's character. Every character gives an exciting performance that keeps the movie moving along without any slack. You won't be disappointed if you're looking for a delightfully funny escape.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A CUTE AND ROMANTIC STORY
Review: THE MOVIE STARTED OFF A BIT SLOW AND KIND OF HARD TO FOLLOW, BUT IT TURNED AROUND AND BECAME VERY INTERESTING. THERE WAS A LOT OF HUMOR AND COMEDY IN IT, AND THE PLOT WAS VERY CUTE AND ROMANTIC. CATHERINE ZETA-JONES AND JULIA ROBERTS WERE A GREAT TEAM, ALONG WITH JOHN CUSACK AND BILLY CRYSTAL. HANK AZARIA WAS ALSO VERY, VERY FUNNY, AS HECTOR. I LIKED THE MOVIE AND I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO BUY THE DVD. IF YOU LIKE A GOOD ROMANTIC COMEDY, THIS IS THE MOVIE TO SEE, AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS!


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