ThiefHott Too much of everything
Tetrady not as good as all the hype
Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
stormy_daze So.... two hours before bed, I'm bored.... want to watch something fluffy and pointless, something i won't get too invested in before sleep... something i won't really care if i fall asleep during it... but something i haven't seen in a while.Always been a big fan of Frazer, and decided to watch this for a strange reason -- Frazer is ambidextrous and usually writes with his left hand. But I had this memory of him sitting at a desk writing with his right, and I couldn't what the movie is. So I'm trying to figure out what it was.... and then ed him saying one of the lines of the movie. So I hopped on to IMDb and just as I was typing his name I ed the movie. Looked for it online for a little while, finally found it via good ol' YouTube.I had expected, going in, a really wretched horrible movie; but had hoped to be at least somewhat entertained by Frazer. The man is really a fantastic actor; He always amuses me. So I thought, what the heck -- I watched The Air I Breathe last night, that was heavy. Let's have a Frazer fluffy movie (that's not Blast from the Past or the Mummy because i've seen them so many times) and had hoped to be, at least, mildly entertained.This is not a brilliant movie. But Frazer and MacLaine are absolutely wonderful and make the movie watchable.I just this movie coming out around the same time as While You Were Sleeping. Same basic premise -- following a confusion over identity, a lonely girl lies to family about who she really is because the family takes her in and she feels accepted for the first time in her life....This one has a baby in it.So, not original. Let's make that clear. Not believable. Not even that good a movie. However, Frazer and MacLaine are lovely and the movie has its moments -- like when Rikki Lake comes in the room asking MacLaine (who is smoking) who had been smoking in the room and MacLaine half-swallows the lit cigarette to avoid being caught. Or everyone constantly taking MacClaine's alcohol from her as well as her cigs. Cute little moments make it fun-- the Cuban butler getting drunk and dancing in the empty pool over a broken heart is a fun moment too.So, not original, not believable, not really great. But it's not nearly as bad as I . Frazer is fab at playing a snarky business man and there is definite chemistry between MacClaine and Frazer that make the whole thing not only watchable, but enjoyable if nothing else for them.A weaker story and someone like Lake who just doesn't have the magical charisma to stand up to someone like Frazer or MacClaine just reminds you what the movie is missing most of the time. If they'd cast someone with more charisma like Sandra Bullock in While You Were Sleeping, I'd have been very interested to see Sandra and Frazer together.Anyway, it's a good fluff, don't expect much and you might enjoy yourself. It's not brilliant, it's not even great, but you know, if you just want a mindless fluff and watch Frazer being snarky it's good enough.
Rachel This movie was not what I expected at all. One hears Ricki Lake's name and automatically assumes that somewhere her pregnant character will burst into song and tease her hair to the heights, but I actually surprisingly enjoyed her in this movie. Yes, she was a little bit of a ham and her age didn't fit the character, but she did a good job playing the little downtrodden city girl who, through a battle with mistaken identity, finds the family she wished she'd always had.As for issues with her attitude and her changes into a society girl, did anyone ever think that maybe she was not that much of a wild child before, and that her acclimation into society was easier than she would have expected? Come on, who on this site doesn't speak a little differently in front of their parents versus their friends? I know I have to give myself a mental warning to try to keep my tongue from slipping when I visit my mom...seriously, everybody does this to some degree, you just don't think about it. I mean, imagine going to church...do you curse in front of your pastor or priest? No. You'd never dream of it. With your friends after a few margaritas? Yes, often something naughty would come out.With that said, Shirley MacLaine and Brendan Fraser are charming, warm and human. She is absolutely the perfect high society misfit leader of a crazy but accepted clan. She's funny, sweet and caring, and smarter than her son or Connie give her credit for. I love, love, love her in this role! Brendan's Hugh/Bill is a marvelous character. The brief moments we see Hugh are sweet, and we unknowingly get a contrast between the two men when we first see the movie. Hugh's free spirit is an instant draw, where Bill's all business attitude at the start takes getting used to.Others on this site have said that it is unconvincing for Bill to have gone from a bit of a cold fish to the warm, funny, in-love guy that he becomes, but I can see the possibilities. If you can put yourself into the character's shoes, here is a man who's just lost his twin brother and been thrown in with the man's wife. He feels some attraction to this pretty, goofy young woman, but this is his DEAD BROTHER'S WIFE! Society would frown upon it...wouldn't't't it? Besides, he's the more sensible twin. He hasn't found that woman who brings out the softer side, so why change? Well...because something about this girl is so endearing, so charming, that he finds himself warming up. It's out of his hands...he can't help it. He's crazy about her. And when he's ready to rat her out to Grace, but Connie tells Grace not to put her in the will, he realizes she really ISN'T there for the money, and that just makes her more lovable. How could he tell Grace and potentially cause another attack? I won't say anymore about what goes on in the movie, as I've done enough damage, but my mom introduced me to this sweet and funny movie, and I was charmed and pleased with the whole film. The ending was satisfying (and I know how the paperwork *flub* is fixable, but if I explain, I'll be saying too much!) and I came away happy, so it's definitely worth giving a shot! Rent it, watch it, don't expect too much, and you'll definitely be satisfied!
tex-42 Mrs. Winterbourne is perhaps the epitome of romantic comedies, in the requirement that you suspend disbelief. It almost commands that you not think about the plot too much, because if you do, the entire movie falls apart.The plot is simple. Connie Doyle is thrown out by her boyfriend when she becomes pregnant, and she ends up on a train with the Winterbournes, a wealthy young couple on their way to Boston. The train derails, and both Winterbournes are killed. However, as Connie was trying on Mrs. Winterbourne's ring at the time of the accident, she is mistaken for her, and her baby for the Winterbourne grandchild. What follows is what always happens in romantic comedies, Connie is taken in by the Winterbourne family and falls in love with the dead Winterbourne's twin brother, who is initially suspicious of her, but then grows to love her. Complications arise, but everything works out in the end.Shirley MacLaine is quite winning at Grace Winterbourne, and Miguel Sandoval steals most of his scenes. The problem is that neither Ricki Lake or Brendan Fraser have much chemistry with each other, and Ricki Lake seems miscast in general. Of course, there are also massive plot holes here, and even in the end, no one really seems to care that the real Mrs. Winterbourne and the real Winterbourne grandchild are off buried somewhere under someone else's name. This is not a bad movie, it's perfectly pleasant, but you really are required to not think about the plot at all to really enjoy it.
Amy Adler Connie (Ricki Lake) lost her mother at twelve in Hoboken, New Jersey. Because she did not get along with her father, Connie left NJ at 18 and went to NYC. Unfortunately, she immediately hooked up with a low-life named Steve and became pregnant. Steve was less than thrilled with the news and threw Connie out of the house. Although she works as a waitress for awhile, when her delivery date draws near, she finds herself broke and homeless. The next day , Connie boards a train she thinks is the subway but which turns out to be a railway to Boston. There, she is befriended by handsome, rich Hugh and his new and very pregnant wife Patricia. The train derails. Hugh and Patricia are killed. But, by a twist of fate, Connie is mistaken for Patricia and finds herself and her new baby in a private hospital, as befitting the wife of a member of the rich Winterbourne family. She meets her new mother-in-law (Shirley MacLaine) and her "husband's" twin brother, Bill (Brendan Fraser) and goes home to a posh, Boston mansion, complete with servants. Just how long will she be able to fool everyone into thinking she really is a part of the family? This is a nice little film for the proverbial romcom fan. MacLaine is wonderful as the matriarch of the wealthy family and Fraser is his usual handsome, quirky, affable self. Lake seems a bit miscast as the girl with a big secret but fulfills her role adequately. The sets, costumes, and production values are very high. Do you love improbable plots and unexpected, humorous romance? Make a date to see Mrs. W. and you will be in your element, absolutely.
