Directed by Gary Sinyor
Written by Steve Cohen, based on the screenplay Seven Chances by Clyde Bruckman, Jean C. Havez & Joseph A. Mitchell, which was based on the play of the same name by Roi Cooper Megrue
Starring Chris O'Donnell, Renne Zellweger, Artie Lange, James Cromwell, Ed Asner
My Advice: Wait and Rent It.
Jimmie Shannon (O'Donnell) has a problem with commitment. He goes so far as to compare bachelors like himself to wild mustangs, free to roam the open prairie in search of "sweet grasses." Yeah. However, he finds his match in Anne (Zellweger), and before he knows it, a few years have passed and he needs to defecate or get off the commode, as they say. Unfortunately, Jimmie did say this to Anne in lieu of a proposal, so Anne promptly got hacked off and stormed away. Now it turns out Jimmie has been willed $100 million dollars by his insane bullhorn-wielding grandfather (Peter Ustinov) as long as he marries…by tomorrow. Eek.
This is a remake of a Buster Keaton film, and also a Three Stooges sketch (as Bailey so rightly pointed out). O'Donnell indeed has the Curly role. Zellweger can pout better than any woman alive. It's uncanny, I tell you. Now—-here's the problem: the two leads are outdone by pretty much every other person in the film. Cromwell as the patient priest waiting to wed somebody manages to get out of one silent expression of disdain for the situation much more than Chris and Renee can squeeze out of their parts. O'Donnell is consistently upstaged by everyone around him, including Artie Lange (who seems doomed to play best friends in two-bit romantic comedies like this one).
And what's sad is that it actually started out with promise—-the first twenty minutes were consistently of gut-busting quality and then the bottom fell out. It went the way of so many other comedies these days and simply ran out of steam, becoming inconsistent and therefore wildly uninteresting. Small pockets of hilarity ensue afterwards ("She burned me in effigy!") but for the most part the thrill is gone.
But more words about the supporting cast, the only reason to see this ill-advised film. Hal Holbrook and Ed Asner are mugging their way through it, and having a good time doing so I might add. Again, James Cromwell is in fine form as always, using his handful of lines to make sure he's not embarrassed to have the film on his resume. The standout goes to Peter Ustinov, who is absolutely hilarious, punctuating his conversations with a bullhorn and constantly berating Jimmie for not procreating already.
All in all, it's a decent date movie if you require one. Otherwise, catch it on the small screen for the sake of those character actors who we're glad to see working.