Rumor Has It

Review by Clint Morris

Jennifer Aniston films are the equivalent of a sponge cake. They’re light, they’re fluffy, and they’re reasonably appetising.

But a spread of sugary icing on top would make it so much better...

From the outset, Rumor Has It looks as if it has nice top of sweet icing, but upon closer investigation you realise it’s merely the artificial type - worth a look; not a lick.

It’s an easy mistake to make, especially with a film with such pretty packaging as this has. Not only is the cast to-die-for - Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, Mena Suvari and Mark Ruffalo also feature - but also the storyline is an absolute doozie.

In the film, the former TV sitcom sweetheart (Aniston) plays a baffled young woman whose life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers her grandmother (a scene-stealing Shirley MacLaine) was the inspiration for Mrs Robinson, the senior seducer of the book/film The Graduate.

It gets worse: she discovers the guy that Dustin Hoffman played in the movie - Kevin Costner in another nice role after his bravura turn in Upside of Anger - could in fact be her father.

If you like Jennifer Aniston - you’ll like this. It's quite simple.

She’s effervescent, she’s expressive, and she’s easily endurable. But if you were coming to this expecting to see a ‘different’ Jennfier Aniston ('Friends') in a much ‘better’ film than her past rom-com efforts - you’ll be disappointed. In fact, MacLaine, Ruffalo and the always-underrated Richard Jenkins give the best performances of the movie.

Here’s a film that’s got such a great template, but it just hasn’t been executed cleverly enough. Surprising too, since Rob Reiner (When Harry, Met Sally) is calling the shots. The first half is quite good, and gives one the inkling that this might turn out to be a minor gem, but half-way through it slips back into write-itself-romantic-comedy studio mode, and races for the finish line. Officious studio exec perhaps?

Sorry Jen, this is another one that folks can easily wait to watch on DVD. Maybe an indy’s in order?

3 out of 5

Rumour Has It
Australian release: Thursday the 5th of January, 2006.
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Ruffalo, Mena Suvari, Richard Jenkins, Mike Vogel, Christopher McDonald.
Director: Rob Reiner.
Website: Click here.

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