Taylor Worth (Mark Harmon) has it all to live every bachelor’s dream: the looks, the money, the job and the popularity, with a fun personality and seduction skills to match. This makes all his married friends jealous, especially his best friend Ned who wants him to experience a heartache once.

So Ned offers a bet: Taylor is to score “yes” to 3 marriage proposals to 3 women Ned’ll pick, and Taylor just has 3 months. To top it all, he has to videotape the proposals as proof. Ned is certain Taylor won’t make it as the women are the married Eleanor (Lesley Ann Warren), the gorgeous -but well protected by her big male friends, Erin, and Ned and his wife’s free-spirited musician friend Veronica (Madeleine Stowe).

The first two prove to be no challenge, but Veronica keeps shutting him down. But when he finally manages to charm her, he is beyond charmed himself. What’s got a guy to do?

*

Worth Winning is the perfect example of a what-you-expect-is-what-you-get movie. From a 1989 romantic comedy with a premise like that, you expect bad hair, bad fashion, younger versions of your favorite actors, cheesy situations and lots of clichés.

But while Worth Winning is the perfect example of why romcoms aren’t taken seriously, it should not be judged as a viewer from the 2010s. First of all, there is a chance we could have fallen victim to those clothes (I know I have some embarrassing pictures from childhood). Then there is also the fact that in 1989, it was a little less of a cliché.

In an era where rockers dressed like women, and Mark Harmon was so pretty (he is very handsome now, but he really was pretty at 38 (and looking younger) and Madeleine Stowe’s career was just beginning to shine…it is not that bad.

If it were shot now, it would send even the most fanatic romcom fans running to the hills. But when you judge it according to its era, it is a good laugh where mindless entertainment is concerned.

Could it have looked less exaggerated, and been more subtly acted and better written? Absolutely. But this is not a gem, it is not underrated. It’s just a fun walk down the memory lane.

Also on Madeleine Stowe:

Revenge starring Madeleine Stowe, Emily VanCamp, Gabriel Mann & Nick Wechsler

Gorgeous Actresses of the 80s and the 90s: Madeleine Stowe, Michelle Pfeiffer and Demi Moore

Blink starring Madeleine Stowe & Aidan Quinn

The Last of the Mohicans starring Daniel Day-Lewis & Madeleine Stowe

When adultery is okay: Revenge starring Kevin Costner, Madeleine Stowe and Anthony Quinn