Runaway Bride (1999)

“I am profoundly and irreversibly screwed up.” – Maggie Carpenter

Number of Times Seen – Twice (17 Sep 2000 and 14 May 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A reporter is sent to a small rural town to do a story on a woman who has left three men at the alter and gets a bit too involved in the story for his own good.

My Take on it – This is a film that I recalled seeing years ago but didn’t remember much besides the overall premise and the two lead actors.

What’s great about this film is that it is able to use the chemistry of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere as a way to enhance a very typical and predictable romantic comedy.

As the two of them showed in Pretty Woman (1990), they have amazing onscreen chemistry and this film helps prove that it wasn’t a fluke the first time around.

The story comes across as seeming much more realistic due to the two of them being cast and it was truly a great choice to re-team them here.

The story is also helped by the decision to use a small town venue since it says so much about the characters who choose to stay in such an environment despite the fact that everyone is aware of everything that happens to everyone else.

The characters must deal with the extra burden of how family and friends will deal with past situations by use of humor and ridicule yet it helps show the development of these characters by the way they react to these kind of things.

Garry Marshal does a wonderful job directing this film and manages to keep it fun throughout.

Bottom Line – Typically predictable romantic comedy that is enhanced by the re-teaming of Roberts and Gere who are once again great together. The choice to put them back together in a film works really well and helps make the story come across even more realistically than it probably should be. The decision to use a small town venue also works really well because it says so much about characters like this who still choose to remain in a small town environment despite knowing everyone. The added burden of having to endure familiar people’s jests about one’s own past is difficult to deal with and we get to see how even this kind of fact helps the characters develop along the way. Marshal does a great job directing this film and keeps it enjoyable from start to finish. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In the scene where Julia Roberts runs through the room filled with little children, the baby being held by the woman to her left is Garry Marshall’s granddaughter. Marshall has a long history of putting his children and grandchildren in his movies. His daughter, Kathleen, plays “Cousin Cindy” in this movie. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)