|
They hate each other to pieces but are forced to be nice
(in public) because the footage from their about-to-be released
last movie won't be freed by the mad director Hal Weidman
(Christopher Walken) until the press preview.
To rescue the situation the studio calls in Lee (Billy Crystal),
a PR master, to keep the media in the dark about the fact
that it is very likely that no movie will be released. He
reckons that if they can get the actors back together then
the press won't actually notice they haven't seen anything.
In desperate trouble Lee calls Gwen's sister Kiki (Julia
Roberts) to help arrange the meeting.
What follows is a series of amusing misadventures - some
of which are extremely funny - and a really enjoyable romance.
Zeta-Jones is beautifully revolting, Cusack his usual winning
self, Crystal adds a bit of insane sanity while, to me, this
is Roberts' best romantic role and craps all over Pretty
Woman.
One of the joys of watching America's Sweethearts
is seeing how the director Joe Roth skilfully uses the roles
of Gwen and Kiki and by the time you begin to think "gee,
Zeta-Jones has it all over Roberts" the pendulum has
already started to swing towards the US's No.1 female star.
Some of the funniest moments in America's Sweethearts
belong to Hank Azaria as Hector, the Spanish stud who
is squiring Gwen. His accent is truly appalling and you really
just want to deck him.
The scene where the media finally gets to see the movie is
hilarious and sets America's Sweethearts off perfectly.
The video transfer is superb, with excellent colour and sharpness.
There are no major glitches and the sound is clear and crisp.
This is a very enjoyable night's viewing.
Conclusion: Movie 80%, Extras 50%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
|
