The Blair B*tch Project.... (America's Sweethearts (DVD))

Member Name: zOOm

Product:	America's Sweethearts (DVD)
Date:	27/10/01 (84 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Actors, Script

Disadvantages: None really

Updated: - I have updated this op in order to give some more info outside the spoiler section. Hope you like it. :)
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Looking at the credits of this movie (Co-Written by Billy Crystal, Co-Produced by Billy Crystal, Starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Hank Azaria) you really expect something good and..... well, you actually get it! :-)

The movie is fun and witty. The actors play their parts convincingly and the direction is good. There are quite a lot of jokes that usually make you laugh. The ones that don't make you laugh are so obvious that it makes me think that Billy Crystal put them in with that intention.

The cinema was half full with the mix of the sexes being about 60/40 (60% women). Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the movie – women laughing at more parts of the movie then the men.

The basic story is that a couple “America’s Sweethearts” had made many movies and they were hugely successful because they represented the good, wholesome American values of family. That couple was Gwen (Catherine Zeta Jones) and Eddie (John Cusack).

But then they split up and that resulted in Eddie not making any more movies and all of Gwen’s movies flopping at the box office. The last movie that they had made together is being released, so the studio calls in the help of the spin meister Lee (Billy Crystal). Lee's job is to make sure this movie is successful and for that he needs to get Eddie & Gwen to at least look like they still enjoy each other's company. Julia Roberts plays Kiki, Gwen's sister. All she does is take care of Gwen. Get her breakfast, massage her, feed her dog, carry her flowers, etc.

All the actors have done a good job. Billy Crystal comes across as a truly insensitive a-hole that would sell his mother to make sure this movie is publicised successfully. Catherine Zeta Jones play
s her part of the spoilt bitch to perfection. You immediately feel sorry for Kiki and Julia Roberts is convincing with the characterisation. John Cusack on the other hand has also done a good job with Eddie, playing someone “on the edge” (mentally that is) “that can go either way”. And finally Hank Azaria has done a great job of the Spanish lover boy who is more confident than Sylvester Stallone in Rocky!

The movie sets the tone that this is not a “serious” take on life from the start, so you do not get a false sense that you are watching something that is supposed to have a deep meaning. It is a romantic comedy with lots of slapstick and good jokes delivered properly.

The setting is the Hyatt hotel in Nevada and the product placement is extremely obvious. Hyatt hotels got a great advertisement.

Spoiler Section
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Gwen is a complete spoilt b*tch. There is no other way to put it. Ever since her split from Eddie (she cheated on him with a Spanish guy called Hector and lives with Hector now) her movies have flopped. She needs to release a good movie otherwise she'll be out of the entertainment industry.

Eddie on the other hand has taken things far worse. He is in one of those rehabilitation places where the guru's quote ancient language that they don't even know the meaning of! He loves Gwen and wants her back.

Kiki is Gwen’s sister and does everything for her. Gwen is very jealous of everyone around her, including Kiki. So she makes Kiki’s life hell!

The studio has not had a decent movie release for a while and to make sure they are successful the manager has decided that the latest “America’s Sweethearts” movie should be directed by Hal Weidmann, the legendary Hollywood director. What they didn’t count on is that Hal has decided that he is not going to let the studio chiefs see the movie until
the press junkets. So, Lee has to keep all the journalists pre-occupied, so that they don't get smart about there being no movie. He is also there to make sure that the movie is a great hit – assuming there is a movie of course. The best way to achieve both these tasks is to create lots of publicity. And that's what would happen if people thought America’s Sweethearts were to get back together...

Watchout for the scene with the Doberman! :)

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Overall it was an enjoyable movie and I do recommend it to everyone. I am sure I'll watch it again once it comes out on DVD/video.

Enjoy!

Summary: