Film Screening 28th May, 2000

Poster for Runaway Bride

Runaway Bride 

1:30 PM, 28th May, 2000

  • PG
  • 116 mins
  • 1999
  • Garry Marshall
  • Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott
  • Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack, Hector Elizondo

Runaway Bride marks the long-awaited re-pairing of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
Gere plays a journalist who fires off a piece about "The Runaway Bride" which captures headlines in papers all over the country. The piece contains some inaccuracies which Roberts (The Runaway Bride) objects to. Gere is sent to her town to find out the real story. And so the scene is set.
Despite his preconceptions Gere comes to like the woman he is writing about. He discovers that that there is a lot more to her than the version of the story he heard would suggest. What makes the film worth seeing is the delving into her past, which is not as straightforward as it seems. Julia Roberts' character is rather mixed up, but this adds to the film as we get to see her in several different incarnations -- the scenes from her weddings are really fun.
There is a strong supporting cast lead by Joan Cusack and the rural scenery is really pretty. This film is well produced, light-hearted entertainment which can be thoroughly enjoyed if viewed with that in mind.

Julie Sienkowski

Poster for Three to Tango

Three to Tango 

3:26 PM, 28th May, 2000

  • M
  • 98 mins
  • 1999
  • Damon Santostefano
  • Rodney Vaccaro and Aline Brosh McKenna
  • Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott, Oliver Platt

Three to Tango centres on the comedic travails of Oscar Novak (Perry), a heterosexual man whose life is turned upside-down after an innocent misunderstanding gives way to the rumor that he is gay. Oscar is an ambitious young architect who's bidding on a project sponsored by Charles Newman (McDermott). Charles somehow gets the idea that Oscar is gay, so he asks Oscar to keep an eye on his girlfriend Amy (Campbell) - can you see where this is heading? Oscar isn't actually gay, but he doesn't want to jeopardize his bid or any chance he may have with Amy and so the fun begins. Predictably, the film's treatment of complicated sexual politics is reductive, but Perry's struggle to stay "in the closet" does lead to some refreshing (straight male) discoveries. Although I am curious why gay men all have dinner parties and in the absence of males straight girls paw each other ambiguously and shriek about penis size.
This movie is by no means spectacular, but it is a pleasant diversion and remains entertaining to the end. Perry is, of course, Chandler from "Friends", Campbell is Julia from "Party of Five", and McDermott is Bobby from "The Practice". The plot could have come straight out of "Three's Company", and the execution is a cross between that and "Dawson's Creek". So if you are a fan of any of the above then why not come along and watch them on the big screen. And if you're not, then I guess if you have nothing better to do ...

Tamara Lee