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Something to Talk About starring Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

Posted on September 22, 2010 Written by ripitup

Something to Talk About starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen

Grace (Julia Roberts)’s marriage to her high school sweetheart Eddie (Dennis Quaid) is not exactly in honeymoon period. They have a little daughter named Caroline (Haley Aull) and that seems to be the only thing they have in common. Grace works for her father (Robert Duvall), running the family barn and socializing with a local women’s committee.

Her life changes completely when she catches Eddie cheating. She takes Caroline and moves back to her family’s house, staying at her sister Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick)’s separate cottage. Her sister is eager to kick Eddie’s ass, but her father is a lot more concerned about the upcoming deal he will be making with Eddie’s dad than her daughter’s happiness. As for her mother (Gena Rowlands), she is being an old-fashioned, traditional mother who thinks men do stray by nature and it is OK to take them back as long as they are sorry. The only other ally in kicking Eddie’s ass is the “crazy” aunt.

Eddie is missing her daughter, but Grace has no intention of letting him off the hook so easily, especially after she finds out he has strayed a lot and well, strayed with her friends in the committee.

With the help of her upfront and snappy sister Emma, Grace starts to reevaluate all aspects of her life. And the handsome rider/trainer Jamie (Brett Cullen) is back. What’s next for Grace?

Something to Talk About is a lovely little romantic comedy/drama from 1995. I first saw it in the late 90s and loved it. I have seen it a couple of times after that. For me, it is just a nostalgic good time with some of my favorite actors and I also love the concept of “make the cheating bastard suffer”. There are many reasons to see this film but there are also many reasons why some people may not enjoy it. Here are both lists:

Reasons to Like Something to Talk About:

– The Cast: Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen.

– The nostalgia: It is from 1995- and the actors are notably younger, especially Kyra, Julia, Dennis and Brett.

– The story: Familiar but fun. Written by Callie Khouri.

– The Director: This was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the Swedish director that gave us Chocolat starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche) , Casanova (starring Heath Ledger and Siena Miller) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis)

Reasons Not to Like Something to Talk About:

– The concept isn’t exactly original. There are no twists and surprises, just fun moments.

– The ending. I kinda like it, but I would rather have it go another direction.

– No, I wouldn’t watch this film without this cast.

Favorite Scenes:

– The meal Grace cooks for Eddie

– How Emma Rae keeps Eddie busy when he first drops by after Grace left with their daughter.

– Grace’s going nuts in the committee

– Gena Rowlands’ going rebellious on Robert Duvall

– The very end scene, Julia Roberts’ funny suspicious look.

*Fun note: Dennis Quaid and Gena Rowlands also starred in Playing by Heart together, another romantic comedy drama, again from the 90s. Again, Dennis Quaid’s character is married to a daughter of Gena Rowlands, and there is cheating. But this time, it is the wife who cheats on Quaid.

Other Posts on the Cast

Kyra Sedgwick

Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick

Dennis Quaid

Other Dennis Quaid Movies

In Good Company starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace and Scarlett Johannson

The Day After Tomorrow

Yours, mine and ours

Playing by Heart

Also recommended for Dennis Quaid fans: Trivia for Meg Ryan, Ex-Mrs.Quaid

Other Julia Roberts Movies

Duplicity starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen

Closer starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Jude Law

Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere

Conspiracy Theory starring Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson

Brett Cullen

Damages TV Series Review

Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood and Brett Cullen

Monster in Law starring Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda and Michael Vartan

Posted on September 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

Monster in Law starring Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Vartan. Written by Anya Kochoff. Directed by Robert Luketic, director of The Ugly Truth. 2005.

Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) is a young woman who works at temp jobs and walks dogs for a living. One day on a beach, she runs into the handsome doctor Kevin (Michael Vartan). Soon they start dating and they are the perfect couple: the relationship is easy, passionate, loving and fun…until Kevin takes Charlie to meet his recently-fired, famous TV personality mother Viola (Jane Fonda). Viola is depressed, neurotic and totally driving her P.A/best friend Ruby (Wanda Sykes) insane. Kevin, unintentionally, kills the chance of a good relationship between his mother and his girlfriend when he asks Charlie to marry her at their first visit. From then on, Viola decides that Charlie is absolutely the wrong girl for her son so she turns into the future mother-in-law from hell. The idea is to show her evil side to Charlie and make her run.

From then on, the “typical” romantic comedy turns more into a fun comedy. It is no longer about two people finding love and getting together but the monster-in-law’s psychotic plans to break them up.

Now, I am not saying this movie is without clichés, in fact it has many. But this is not your typical romantic comedy either. Finding your “soulmate” part is especially cut short so that we have more time for Jane Fonda’s hilarious act. And what makes it so annoying and ridiculous at parts comes from the fact that unfortunately mother-in-laws like that do exist. My father’s mom was pretty much the only problem my parents had during their marriage. The moment my mom stopped contact with her, the marriage was saved.

While avoiding this film won’t exactly make you miss much, watching it can entertain you a great deal if you let it. And while girls can cross their fingers to meet a guy like Kevin, they sure as hell should remember to wish his mother isn’t like Viola. Sure, for the sake of being a (romantic) comedy, things do end well but…in real life, she sure would keep up the witch bitch act for good.

One of my favorite lines:

Viola (Jane Fonda): Have you got anything on the girl yet?

Ruby (Wanda Sykes): Nothing. No criminal record, no death….

Viola: What about drugs? What about promiscuity?

Ruby: She did fewer lovers in her life than you had on the closing day of Woodstock!

Other Posts on Michael Vartan

Alias starring Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan and Bradley Cooper

Never Been Kissed starring Drew Barrymore, Michael Vartan and David Arquette

Green Card starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell

Posted on September 5, 2010 Written by ripitup

Green Card starring Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu. Written and directed by Peter Weir. 1990.

George (Gerard Depardieu) is a French man wanting to stay in the States. Bronte (Andie MacDowell) is a horticulturist, who has just found her dream apartment: a roof floor with its own greenhouse. Through a mutual friend, they make a deal. George and Bronte meet, get married and go their separate ways. What they don’t know is that the number of people trying to “trick” the government for green cards has increased a lot and the immigration officers are being strict. So they realize that if they want to get what they want, they need to spend time with each other, live in Bronte’s house and learn as much as they can about each other. While George isn’t having problems hanging in Bronte’s flat, Bronte is about to have a fit. She has to lie to her friends, parents, boyfriend and to the apartment’s board. Moreover, she needs to handle George’s differences, as they couldn’t have been more opposite. George loves to eat, express his thoughts openly, loves passion, hasn’t been formally educated and is a slob. Bronte is more introverted, loves “nice guys”, has been to college, seems to love plants more than people and loves things to be in order.

But as time passes and they get on each other’s nerves, they also begin to be attracted to each other Can they finally realize they might be falling for each other? And even if they do, can they convince the officers that they are a real couple?

Green Card is a very lovely romantic comedy/drama from 1990, written and directed by Australian director Peter Weir (Gallipoli, Fearless, Master and Commander, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Truman Show).The movie is more fun than funny. It is emotional and romantic. Somehow, even though it carries some typical romantic comedy elements, everything in this film flows so naturally. It is perfect that George is not your typical heartthrob but he is so lovable, and that Bronte doesn’t spend the movie walking in sexy clothes or being perfectly made-up and immaculately dressed when she is at home. The dialogue and interactions are just lovely. Keep in mind, this movie won’t go out of its way to try and make you laugh. It tries, and succeeds in making you smile a lot. And before calling it a chick flick, do consider the fact that the writer/director is a heterosexual male.

Rated 6.0 on IMDB. I think it is too charming and real to be just a 6. Let me know what you think.

Fun note: Director Peter Weir was nominated for Best Original Screenplay with this movie.

Recommended (Similar) Movies:

French Kiss starring Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan

The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds

Posted on September 1, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White and Mary Steenburgen

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a beautiful, successful and workaholic editor at a big publishing firm in New York. However to her co-workers, she is the absolute bitch from hell; especially to her long-suffering assistant Andew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). He has been working day and night, putting in weekends so that he can be an editor himself. Unfortunately, this goal requires him being Margaret’s slave.

However Andrew gets the upper hand when Margaret is facing the problem of deportation as she is Canadian and her visa has expired. She finds the perfect solution: she will marry Andrew and keep her job and because she is staying in the firm, he won’t be fired. The unwilling Andrew gets a bigger shock when the immigration officer Mr. Gilbertson (Dennis O’ Hare) informs them that a fraud marriage will result in a prison sentence of 3 years and a fine about $250,000. So Andrew blackmails his way into an immediate promotion and they go to Alaska together to give Andrew’s family the good news. Of course they have to pretend they are in love and keep “the fraud” secret. So the grandmother Annie (Betty White) and mother Grace (Mary Steenburgen) are more than surprised when Andrew brings home the “absolute evil bitch”. However they are happy to have Andrew back and they are willing to welcome Margaret into the family. But the father of the house (Craig T. Nelson) is already bitter because Andrew didn’t take over the family business and moved to New York to be an editor’s assistant, a job area he doesn’t respect and a passion he doesn’t understand. Of course trouble doesn’t end there. Mr. Gilbertson isn’t willing to leave them alone and the more Margaret gets to know the family, the more she gets to love them. And Andrew starts seeing a whole new side to Margaret. But how is a business deal is supposed to work when feelings get involved?

The Proposal is one charming and hilarious romantic comedy. And don’t get the “romantic” part in the romantic comedy to cloud your judgment, as the movie does a wonderful job of making you laugh. The cast is marvelous, especially Betty White. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have great chemistry and comedic timing together. This movie is 85-90% comedy. Note that gorgeous Malin Akerman also co-stars. She plays Gertrude, Andrew’s high school sweetheart.

Written by Pete Chiarelli and directed by Anne Fletcher. Sandra Bullock was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globes for her role. Rated at 6.7 on IMDB. All around fun. 7/10 from me.

Favorite Scenes:

* any scene with the dog Kevin – especially the “eagle dance”

*The bathroom scene- the naked “clash”

*Sandra Bullock and Betty White chanting in the forest together

Favorite Lines:

– on the clash – Margaret blames it on the dog blocking her way.

Andrew: Oh- I barely made my with my life out there.

and pretty much anything during the ending credits.

Other Posts Featuring Ryan Reynolds

Foolproof starring Ryan Reynolds

The Nines starring Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis

20 Tall Actors from Hollywood

Other Posts on Sandra Bullock

While You Were Sleeping starring Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock

The Lake House starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves

The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock