Mildly entertaining but forgettable tale of newlywed strife
I'm generally a lover of romantic comedies, but this one didn't really deliver the goods for me. It is unusual in focusing not on the courtship but on the course of the couple's early married life. I guess I objected to the fact that separation seems such an easy option for this couple when they aren't feeling self fulfilled. Plenty enough of that, alas, in real life. The method of story telling is certainly unique, and somewhat effective, as it's done in flashback at an Italian restaurant by their friends, each supplying a part of the tale as they wait for the couple (who may or may not be together) to join them.The couple meet in Paris when Ellen, an airline official, helps Mickey, a basketball referee, sort out the airline's error in sending his father's body to the wrong destination. They have a romantic whirlwind courtship, seeing all the sights. However, marriage of course proves a big adjustment back in the States, as Ellen misses her successful airline career. Also, Ellen's father, who's a bit senile, comes to live with the newlyweds in their apartment, driving Mickey crazy.
Nothing the matter with the cast. Billy Crystal is okay here, though I prefer When Harry Met Sally (not my favorite romantic comedy either). He seems to have a consistent persona of crazy yappiness. As a rule, I really like Debra Winger, but this simply isn't her best role.
The movie has some laughs certainly (Mickey's veal ordering rut, for example) and a few good points, such as the father-in-law issue and the fact that the pair do honestly attempt to compromise and make it work, with Mickey for a time sacrificing his travels as referee to be at home with his wife.
However, all in all, it's just too contrived and deliberately modern. The young wife who wants her own career fulfillment. Ho, hum. Naturally, the couple has fertility problems. The wild drive where Mickey is racing his semen sample to the fertility clinic is supposedly hilarious but failed to amuse me much. It seemed with its sexual implications such a calculated attempt to elicit a guaranteed laugh. Sort of like the restaurant faked orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. The old romantic comedies used to manage quite nicely without this sort of thing. They just don't make them like they used to.
At least the film does make the point that marriage isn't just about romance (hence the phrase, forget Paris) but about sacrifice and commitment. So I suppose in a sense, something of a good message.
score 5/10
roghache 1 April 2006
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1330787/34867
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