Die Braut, die sich nicht traut

Despite its formulaic and silly story, Runaway Bride is still a charmer. Julia Roberts has a charisma that buoys up every scene that she's in, even though Richard Gere comes off a little wooden and I don't completely buy their blooming relationship. This romantic comedy swings for the fences and, despite not hitting a home run, it's a movie I wouldn't mind watching again every now and then.

Committing to a relationship means getting married, but if you are not up to being committed than it can mean you have ‘cold feet'. Well in this movie the bride to be has anything, but cold feet. She might as well be wearing running shoes down the alter, as that is what we get to see, not once but many times, and it is a funny thing to watch as well.

Ike Graham is a big-city newspaper journalist who causes an uproar with an unflattering and wildly erroneous story about Maggie Carpenter, a small-town woman whose reputation for leaving men stranded at the alter has made her a local legend! But while Ike plans to prove he was right about Maggie all along… and Maggie plans to even the score with Ike.. neither expect the sparks that fly when they finally meet!

Now considering that Pretty Woman was one of Hollywood's biggest films of the eighties, and with good reason, it was always going to be difficult to cash in on its success for a second time. I believe that ‘Runaway Bride' was trying to do such a thing. Although I personally enjoyed this film, I can see why some people might not have. It did not have the same appeal that audiences everywhere had for Pretty Woman.

Perhaps the cast was in some way responsible for the movie being a popular choice for movie-goers to want to see. Undoubtedly, the onscreen presents of both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere is a big deal for movie fans. I can see why, this film for me backs up that relationship. Roberts is a star in her own right, who deserves all the accolades that come her way. You can not help but like her and that great smile. Gere has had a very good career also. With movies that include The Jackal, alongside Superstar Bruce Willis, Final Analysis and Primal Fear.

I enjoyed the story that was presented to audiences in this film. Having a girl that continually runs out on her husband to be is an interesting concept, which was well adapted to the bigscreen. Though I would hope in real life that a girl as gorgeous as Maggie Carpenter is, would not bolt for the church door when you are about to commit to her for your whole life. The story for this movie was written by two people, Josann Mcgibbon and Sara Parriott. I feel they both

Director Garry Marshal also deserves a mention. You could feel (well I did at least) some part of Pretty Woman coming through in this film, and this undoubtedly was because of Garry. He has done some incredible work which include movies such as The other sister, Beaches and TV shows the caliber of Mork and Mindy, Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley.

This movie also had some good lines when it came to the issues of love, relationships and how men and women interact with each other. The one line that stands out the most would have to be when Maggie asks of Ike –

`Is there one ‘right' person for everyone?'

I love his response -

`No, but I think attraction is mistaken for rightness.'

I totally agree, because I think people can make so many mistakes when it comes to looking for that right person. That is the reason, I believe, for the high separation/divorce rate. You need to be able to act like you always do around someone, in order to be able to say they are in someway ‘right' for you, because if you cant then there is no point even trying to make a go with them.

The music of ‘Runaway Bride' was of significance to me, so much so that I did not realise how good that it was the first time. Martina McBride's tune of `I love you' was an obvious favourite from the film, with other artist including Coco- Lee, the Dixie Chicks, with a great rendition of the classic hit `You can't hurry love' , and U2. This is one soundtrack I definitely want to add to my collection.

So the lesson this movie gives to its audience is that marriage might not be for every person. However, it also show that you can overcome your difficulties in taking the next step in your relationship, if that is what has to be or wants to be done, by open and honest with your partner. Warning: For anyone who is about to get married or starting married life this might not be your film, then again it might just be too. If you like a laugh then you should say ‘I do' to what I think is a delightfully engaging romantic comedy!

Rating: 8/10 or 4 Stars

This is a thoroughly contrived film, but a pleasant watch nonetheless. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere still exhibit an easy going chemistry after their blockbuster 'Pretty Woman'. This film though isn't as good. The characters are superficial, and the story unbelievable. However, a lovely romantic sound-track and some soothing romantic moments between the two likable stars carry the film. The humor is mild but generally works. The supporting cast including Hector Elizondo and Joan Cusack work hard to elevate mediocre material using effective comic timing. A pleasant watch at home.

Overall 6/10

Awesome movie! A very funny romantic comedy, with a good resolution. Roberts and Gere have great chemistry and should have an award for it. Never a boring part, always action! Must see for romantic comedies! A few suggestions not appropriate for children, but over all it was pretty clean. Joan Cusac did an excellent job as well, playing Robert's best friend. Very real and believable movie, with plenty of good morals. Overall it is a hilarious movie that keeps you laughing and has you repeating lines constantly until you laugh even more. It is older, so there are a few dated things, but it isn't that bad. Once again, hilarious. Good family things too. This rates up there with You've Got Mail and While You Were Sleeping. A must see for all!

Runaway Bride is just a good romantic comedy. Yes, the director and the two big name stars are the same as the film's 1990 counterpart, but even though the two films have striking and almost offensive similarities, Runaway Bride has a good enough story that I refuse to believe that it relied on the success of its predecessor.

Julia Roberts is Maggie Carpenter, a hardware store owner (a laughable profession surpassed only by Denise Richards as a nuclear weapons specialist in The World Is Not Enough. Yeah RIGHT!), and Richard Gere is a newspaper columnist (Ike Graham) who has been fired for printing a supposedly false column about a woman who consistently runs out on her marriages. When he travels to the tiny town where she lives to learn more about her life and possibly get his job back, he finds that there is more to her than just a newspaper column.

By the end of the film, there is such a huge media hype about Maggie's wedding that it's a wonder that Ike wasn't honored for his 'false' column about her. Joan Cusack has never looked and acted better than she did in this movie, delivering a wonderful nasally performance that was strangely heartwarming.

Runaway Bride had all kinds of wonderful scenes. I particularly liked the wedding rehearsal scene. The look on Christopher Meloni's face was priceless! There were so many good things about this film that I am able to overlook the superficial look of unoriginality. If you just look past the director and the two big names, the story itself is not at all like any other film. There will, of course, be the inevitable cynical comparisons to Pretty Woman, and these complaints are understandable, but people who condemn Runaway Bride as a rip-off of Pretty Woman or some sort of re-make are simply not looking at the film, but only at the names on the bill. This is a very good romantic comedy, and it should not be missed simply because of a superficial comparison to Pretty Woman.