Always A Bridesmaid
Wedding Heralds Roberts' Comedic Comeback

In a summer of sequel blockbusters a small, romantic comedy could easily go unnoticed. My Best Friend's Wedding, the new movie staring Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney, not only deserves to be noticed, it deserves to become a hit.

Wedding is smart, sexy, and touching. It's a love story from a slightly jealous, psychotic point of view, but that doesn't make it any less charming. It joins the ranks of such romantic comedies as When Harry Met Sally..., Say Anything..., and The Philadelphia Story.

Roberts stars as Julianne, a New York food critic whose best friends and former lover Michael (Mulroney) has announced that he's getting married to a wealthy, college student named Kimmy (Cameron Diaz). Only when faced with his impending wedding, does Julianne realize he is more than her friend. She loves him, and refuses to let him go.

Of course, love is subjective. Is it love if you are willing to wreak disaster on two lives mere days before their wedding? Is it love when you can't say the words? In other words, is it love, or just possessiveness?

Roberts gives a wonderful performance, breaking away from the dreary roles she has chosen in the past couple of years and returning to a light comedy where her charm can shine through. Mulroney is dashing, and sure to make a few women sigh with delight. Diaz, on the other hand, plays Kimmy as cute, not sexy, and comes across as weak, pathetic, and annoying. What does Michael see in her, anyway?

The most surprising performance is from Rupert Everett who plays George, Julianne's editor and close friend. He comes to Chicago to convince Julianne to tell Michael her true feelings, but is pulled into her insane scheme when she introduces him as her fiance. This leads to one of the funniest scenes in the movie, in which everyone in the restaurant joins in singing "I Say A Little Prayer." This has to be the best sing along since "Sweet Caroline" in Beautiful Girls.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good romance, but I believe this is a delightful movie which anyone would enjoy. It has several good performances, a solid script, and the best (definitely oddest) opening credits of any movie in recent memory.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 105 min.