America's Sweethearts (2001)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Joe Roth

Writers (WGA):

Billy Crystal (written by) &
Peter Tolan (written by)

Release Date:

20 July 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

America's hottest couple has just broken up...it will take more than special effects to get them back together.

Plot:

A movie publicist deals with the messy public split of his movie's co-stars while keeping reporters at bay while a reclusive director holds the film's print hostage.

Plot Keywords:

Press | Love | Publicist | Movie Star | Actor

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Julia Roberts	...	Kathleen "Kiki" Harrison
Billy Crystal	...	Lee Phillips
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Gwen Harrison
John Cusack	...	Eddie Thomas
Hank Azaria	...	Hector Gorgonzolas
Stanley Tucci	...	Dave Kingman
Christopher Walken	...	Hal Weidmann
Alan Arkin	...	Wellness Guide
Seth Green	...	Danny Wax
Scot Zeller	...	Davis
Larry King	...	Himself
Steve Pink	...	Limo Driver
Rainn Wilson	...	Dave O'Hanlon
Eric Balfour	...	Security Guard
Marty Belafsky	...	Security Guard

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, some crude and sexual humor.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38091)

Filming Locations:

Descanso Gardens - 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada-Flintridge, California, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

Robert Downey Jr. was originally slated to play Eddie. John Cusack was cast instead when Downey's legal problems raised doubts as to whether he would be available for filming.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kiki is rubbing Gwen's neck in the bathtub, she tells her to take her foot out, which she does. In the long shot you can see Kiki's foot is back in the tub.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: America first fell in love with Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison in the box office smash "Autumn With Greg And Peg". They had the most celebrated marriage in Hollywood. Who could forget how they hit one out of the park in "Requiem for an Outfielder"?

Movie Connections:

References Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Soundtrack:

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

Ultra light summer movie

And I mean ultra light. This film features four giant stars, about three and a half jokes and nothing beyond that.

There really isn't too much to say about this stinker, other than that although it has a couple of really good bits, most of it isn't very funny. Nor does it work at all as a romance. How about as a romantic comedy? Not on your life. Most of the dialogue is way too flat to be sophisticated, much less amusing.

What's really ashame is the premise is not bad at all. This movie could have been so much more, especially with all the recent focus on some of the bogus ways in which films are promoted, complete with phony quotes from critics. The film uncovers the un-mined territory of the press junket -- those all expense paid trips for journalists who almost always write nice reviews. But instead of exploring what should have been a motherlode of jokes, it devotes all of about three minutes to this territory and moves on in pursuit of the film's lame romance.

The same with Catherine Zeta-Jones' character -- the whinny, self centered movie star. Zeta-Jones does a good job with what she's given, but she's given practically nothing. It's all homogenized junk that looks very pale in comparison with some of the things we've heard about stars over the years.

In the end, it is hard to understand what made Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, John Cusack and Billy Crystal sign aboard this doomed ship, which sinks like a rerun of "The Love Boat." In fact, as the old joke goes, they should have forgotten the script and filmed the deal. It would probably make a better story. So, go ahead and tell us, filmmakers, what do you have on these stars that got them to appear in this?