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Runaway Bride was released in 1999, and carried with it a cloud of hype. After almost ten years, the stars (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere) and director (Garry Marshall) of Pretty Woman were to make another (romantic comedy) film together. Oh, and just ‘cos I find this sort of trivia ... Read review
It took nearly a decade to find a mutually agreeable screenplay, but the stars and ... more
director ofPretty Womanfinally reunited to makeRunaway Bride, wisely avoiding any attempt to recapture the 1990 film's elusive magic. The result is a perfectly pleasant ...
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It took nearly a decade to find a mutually agreeable screenplay, but the stars and ... more
director ofPretty Womanfinally reunited to makeRunaway Bride, wisely avoiding any attempt to recapture the 1990 film's elusive magic. The result is a perfectly pleasant ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Everyone's favourite screen couple... Richard Gere and Juila Roberts matched in another ... more
runaway hit comedy from Garry Marshall - the director of Pretty Woman! Ike Graham is a big city newspaper columnist who causes an uproar with an unflattering and wi...
Roberts and Gere confirm their status as an eternal screen team in this delightful ... more
laugh-filled romantic comedy. Roberts plays small-town girl Maggie Carpenter whose marches down the aisle become a series of near Mrs. when she bolts before saying I Do...
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Ahh, the sounds of love. Hearing the soundtrack to the romantic comedy Runaway Bride, ... more
you'll get plenty of them. The Dixie Chicks, Eric Clapton, Martina McBride, and Shawn Colvin all lend new tracks to this sometimes-rootsy, sometimes-pop compilation. U2's classic anthem "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" starts things off, but Cupid quickly strikes with McBride's "I Love You", Clapton's intimate charmer "Blue Eyes Blue", and Marc Anthony's "You Sang to Me". Miles Davis's gorgeous "It Never Entered My Mind" is the one surprise cut, but the new tracks are the real highlight here. --Jason Verlinde
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I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2) Ready To Run (Dixie Chicks) I Love You ... more
(Martina McBride) Maneater (Daryl Hall And John Oates) From My Head To My Heart (Evan And Jaron) Blue Eyes Blue (Eric Clapton) And That's What Hurts (Daryl Hall And John Oates) Never Saw Blue Like That (Shawn Colvin) You Can't Hurry Love (Dixie Chicks) You Sang To Me (Marc Anthony) Your The Only One For Me (Allure) Before I Fall In Love (Coco Lee) Once In A Lifetime (Human Nature) (Kenny Loggins) Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day) (Billy Joel) It Never Entered My Head (Miles Davis)
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Ike Graham is a newspaper columnist who causes an uproar by writing a false story about ... more
Maggie Carpenter, a woman who has left a few men, literally, stranded at the altar. He sets about proving his story while Maggie plans to even the score - but neither can anticipate the sparks that will fly when they do eventually meet up...
Killer Santas, exploding baubles, an alien spaceship shaped like a giant star - Christmas ... more
with the Doctor is anything but a silent night ...It is Christmas Eve, and as Donna Noble prepares to walk up the aisle to marry her boyfriend Lance, she suddenly finds herself vanishing in a glow of golden energy and materialising alongside the Doctor in the TARDIS. The Doctor is as astonished as she is at her sudden appearance - and a little taken aback by this loud-mouthed bride-to-be who doesn't mind giving a 'martian' a slap round the face.As the TARDIS races to get to the Church on time, the Doctor begins to pick up clues to who is after the feisty fiancee. The return of the robotic Santas, the strange energy particles surrounding Donna and the discovery of a secret ex-Torchwood base under the Thames, point to just one thing: the return of the Racnoss, an ancient spider - like race who were wiped out over 4.6 billion years ago.By the time the Doctor discovers that Donna is the key to Racnoss's plan to destroy the Earth, time is running out. Can he solve the puzzle, defeat the giant arachnid Empress stop her army of Santas - and get Donna home in time for her Christmas dinner?
Donna is about to marry her boyfriend Lance on Christmas Eve but she finds herself ... more
transported aboard the Tardis. As the Doctor tries to get Donna to the church on time the alien Empress of Racnoss watches closely from the throne in her spaceship. Somehow Donna is the key to an ancient plot to destroy the Earth. With time running out can the Doctor solve the puzzle defeat the Empress and stop her army of robot Santas?
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Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Advantages: Julia Roberts and her 'million watt smile', light charming fluff Disadvantages: predictable
...the film.
Runaway Bride was released in 1999, and carried with it a cloud of hype. After almost ten years, the stars (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere) and director (Garry Marshall) of Pretty Woman were to make another (romantic comedy) film together. Oh, and just ‘cos I find this sort of trivia quite interesting, note that this time round, Julia got top billing over Richard. Tells a story or two, doesn’t it?!
...this time.
Runaway Bride starts off by showing us just that: Julia Roberts, in full wedding outfit, running – or rather riding – away from her groom. It turns out that this is the third man she’s left at the altar, but that still hasn’t put her off: number four is about to chance his luck. With another actress, you might have been left wondering why anyone would take the risk, but Julia is really lovely, and ... more
I haven’t been in the best of health for the last while, but I am getting better. Still, I do tend to have a lot of days when I just don’t feel I have the energy to be cheerful, if that makes sense. Yesterday I woke up having one of those days, when, for no real reason, all I really want to do is go huddle in a corner somewhere – once I’ve made it out of bed, of course. Good grief, it sounds like I’m having a second attempt at being a teenager!
Nice, cheery start to an op on a romantic comedy, eh?!
Anyway, the point of telling you all that is that this morning I started flicking through the hundreds of channels to find something to distract myself for ten minutes while I ate my Rice Krispies. Not my usual breakfast, I’d like to point out, but I bought a box in a fit of nostalgia before remember how bland and unsatisfying they really are. Oops, no offence Mr Kellogg – the trademark ‘snapcrackleandpop’ is still mildly amusing!
So, what did I manage to find on my TV screen this morning? Very little, as usual (grief, I am in a right mood this morning, aren’t I?) – even the cartoons (yup, that kind of Sunday morning!) were substandard. Not like when I was a kid, of course!! So I ended up flicking over to the film just about to start, which I’d seen before and knew was light fluff guaranteed not to offend my fuzzy brain. It’s not the most recent of releases, but with Julia Robert’s new flick, America’s Sweethearts, about to open, I thought I’d write a review of this.
And so on to the film.
Runaway Bride was released in 1999, and carried with it a cloud of hype. After almost ten years, the stars (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere) and director (Garry Marshall) of Pretty Woman were to make another (romantic comedy) film together. Oh, and just ‘cos I find this sort of trivia quite interesting, note that this time round, Julia got top billing over Richard. Tells a story or two, doesn’t it?!
First point to notice is that this is not – repeat NOT – a sequel to Pretty Woman, that oh so saccharine tale of a man falling in love with a prostitute with a heart of gold. Don’t get me wrong – if I’m in the right mood, I really quite enjoy Pretty Woman; it’s just the whole issue of prostitution seems a little out of step with the romantic comedy genre.
Actually, it’s only fair to you to point out that this is far from being my preferred genre of movie. In fact, usually I would run a mile rather than sit and watch anything billed as ‘romantic’ (the only thing that would get me moving faster would be Angela’s Ashes or similar). Two things made me sit and watch this the first time (and even then, it was on TV and not something I paid to see): the cast, (well, Julia Roberts), and sheer morbid curiosity – after all, by this stage so much had been written attacking this film, I just had to see how bad it really was.
So I really went into this film expecting it to be dire. Probably not a bad frame of mind to go into it, actually, as then you can only be proved right – or pleasantly surprised. As I’ve already told you this was my second (full) viewing (I tend to watch snippets of films I’ve already seen now and again – the downfall of having satellite), and you’ve seen my rating, you already know I fell into the latter category this time.
Runaway Bride starts off by showing us just that: Julia Roberts, in full wedding outfit, running – or rather riding – away from her groom. It turns out that this is the third man she’s left at the altar, but that still hasn’t put her off: number four is about to chance his luck. With another actress, you might have been left wondering why anyone would take the risk, but Julia is really lovely, and I’m sure if I was a guy I could be drooling a little. As it is, I just wouldn’t mind looking a little more like that myself!
Moving from small town to big city, we find Richard Gere is a journalist – Ike Graham – with a daily column in a New York newspaper run by his ex-wife. His life is also far from perfect: for a start, his column has started to become tired and repetitive, and he struggles at the last minute to find ideas. More often than not, he falls back to ranting about women, and today he finds the perfect subject for an attack as a drunken man in bar starts to tell him about Maggie Carpenter, the Runaway Bride.
Unfortunately for Ike, Maggie is furious with the less than accurate picture he paints of her, and her letter to the newspaper results in Ike being fired. Seeing only one hope to save his career, Ike sets off to the ‘sticks’ looking for vindication – if Maggie runs from wedding number four, he’ll be there to write the article and prove he wasn’t so far wrong the first time.
Thus starts the dance between the two characters in the run-up to Maggie’s wedding. She thinks Ike is trying to make her run, whereas he is convinced she will anyway, and sees her as an example of the female ‘man-eater’ type in general. He ingratiates himself with the local townspeople and Maggie’s family as he tries to ‘dig the dirt’, prove himself right and just generally find out what makes her run away.
In the process of this, he really does uncover some interesting observations. Maggie is a woman who is lost in her life, neatly shown by the whole ‘eggs’ topic: with each of her four fiancés, she has claimed to prefer omelette, scrambled, poached or fried eggs – whichever they like. Here is someone who doesn’t know herself, and instead merely tries to be whatever will please most.
Of course, such philosophical musings are not why anyone is watching this film! It’s no surprise whatsoever when the hate between the two characters starts to change to – well, you know exactly where that is all going! It starts with building physical attraction between Maggie and Ike, and then he starts to stand up for her; Maggie has become the butt of many jokes in the town. Although meant affectionately, they are no less hurtful, especially coming from close friends and family. “Maggie may not be Hale’s longest running joke,” her dad says, “But she’s certainly the fastest.” With this kind of pressure from those she’s supposed to be closest to, we’re hardly surprised that Maggie is having problems.
While the outcome is never anything other than predictably, there is an attempt at putting a bit of a twist in this story. A lot of people have complained about this, but although nothing wonderful it does stop things being a straight jaunt from point A to point B. Of course, I’m not going to just tell you what happens!
As for the cast, well, Julia Roberts is a bankable actress – you know what you’re getting, and she doesn’t disappoint. Richard Gere, although not my type (I mean, how old is he?!), manages to ooze charisma – well, he oozes, at any rate! His character does come off quite well, with a nice line in cynical asides, and he is certainly preferable to the list of former fiancés. I found it interesting that neither of the pair looks significantly older (Roberts especially) from Pretty Woman – what is the secret?! The supporting cast is excellent, from newspaper boss Hector Elizondo (who played the concierge in Pretty Woman) who is married to Ike’s ex, Rita Wilson (isn’t she Mrs Tom Hanks?), to Maggie’s various friends and family as played by Joan Cusack and Laurie Metcalf (Jackie in Roseanne) among others.
After all my preconceptions, I really did enjoy this film as a bit of light-hearted, charming fluff. It was never going to be as popular as Pretty Woman, but in truth it’s just unfortunate that the comparisons had to be made. While it didn’t exactly turn my not-so-great morning into all round sunshine, it did raise a smile and an occasional chuckle. Many people did seem to loathe this film, but really, as long as you’re not expecting too much, this is a pleasant enough, throwaway, Sunday afternoon kind of a film.
(Thanks for reading, and I’d love to read your comments. I’m a bit more comfortable writing book reviews, so any thoughts on my attempt at a film op or suggestions for improvement will be gratefully received. Cheers.)
Advantages: simple plot, simple characters, easy to follow Disadvantages: not a patch on Pretty Woman
...son to great grandmother. The Runaway Bride had a lot to live up to. Sadly, having seem it twice, it just seems to be running on a different track. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are back, but the bittersweeteness has been lost to a whole load of smultz.
The plot revolves around the central character of Maggie Carpenter (Roberts), a small town gal who just cannot say no when someone preposes, but gets the jitters and bolts the wrong way up the aisle ... ...The problem with the Runaway Bride is that it is so contrived, too obvious, and not a patch on Pretty Woman. That is its major flaw, it is simple film, with a simple plot and simple characters, trying to be compared with something that was unconventional, beautifully written and well crafted. As a 1950s style/thin plot film in its own right, Runaway Bride caters for its target audience (grannies who love a good, but simple love story). As a sequel ...
r-rackham 13.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Runaway Bride (DVD)
Advantages: The cast are a strong cast on paper Disadvantages: Was hyped too much
...is where the idea for Runaway Bride was born. Garry Marshall, director of Pretty Woman was pleased to be working with the lead actors from Pretty Woman, and there is also the familiar face of Hector Elizondo, who played the hotel manager in 1990. Joan Cusack appears as the best friend Peggy, and puts in a very under par performance, but to be fair, she was not given much to work with. I am sorry to say that this film is not a patch on Pretty Woman, ... ...these actors on screen together again, and the concentration and effort was put more into advertising the return of Gere and Roberts, rather than creating an exciting and inspiring story. The story is that Maggie Carpenter(Roberts) is a commitment phobic woman who has left 3 fiance's standing at the altar after she could not go through with the wedding. She is brought to Ike Gram's (Gere) attention by a man he meets in a bar (who turns out to be ...
nicanddarrell 08.05.2001 (07.12.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Runaway Bride (DVD)
Advantages: good plot, great actors, great scenery, no violence or bad language Disadvantages: maybe a bit unbelievable in some places, not enough features on DVD but it was rented so I think it could have been abridged for renting purposes in terms of DVD features and menus
On its cinema release, Runaway Bride was greatly publicised as the first reunion of actors Richard Gere and Julia Roberts since Pretty Woman. And together their great onscreen rapport brought this film to life! True its not like Pretty Woman but the characters and storyline are very different!
When journalist Ike Gram (Gere) meets a bitter jilted spouse in a New York bar, he learns about the "runaway bride" Maggie Carpenter (Roberts) who didn't ... ...to enhance their plots. It makes Runaway Bride suitable for family viewing, although children might not follow the all-talk plot. Personally I loved this film to pieces. It's innocent, heartwarming and funny and I watched it over and over again! I recommend you see it at least once. ...
judithritchie 30.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Runaway Bride (DVD)
Advantages: You know what to expect, and the two stars do their thing as well as they ever did Disadvantages: You get exactly what you expect. Too predictable.
Runaway Bride is to Pretty Woman what You've Got Mail was to Sleepless In Seattle. That is, it reunites its two leading stars with the same director, only the story and characters are unconnected to the previous, hugely-sucessful project. Pretty Woman was one of the highest-grossing films of 1990, and launched Julia Roberts into the realms of stardom while kick-starting Richard Gere's faltering career in the process. Ten years on, here they are again....but ... ...On the evidence of Runaway Bride, the answer would have to be.....maybe. Or maybe not. For this is an often charming romantic comedy which just about finds the right formula necessary to pull off such a contrived concept. Indeed, formula is the key here. Everything follows the usual cliched path towards the eventual conclusion, making sure it presses all the required buttons to move itself along. Gere plays a New York columnist famous for his disparaging ...
EnglishPatient 24.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Runaway Bride (DVD)
Advantages: Great plot and actors/actresses Disadvantages: Nothnig
After watching this film for a second time at the weekend I felt it my nessesity to write an opinion on it. This film came out in cinemas at the beginnnig of summer '1999'. (July 30) I went with my friend to see it as an 'end of school' summer treat! ~ We were highly entertained and thought the movie was great. THE PLOT
The whole storyline is based on two main people, firstly Ike Graham who is acted by Richard Gere, he is a New York newspaper columnist ... ...and his ex-wife is his boss!!! Taking himself off down to his local watering hole to "brainstorm," Ike hears about a young woman in rural Maryland named Maggie, who is acted by Julia Roberts who, apparently, loves being engaged, but who has very cold feet about getting married. Intrigued, Ike composes a column about Maggie, beginning a chain of events which leads him to Hale, Maryland, her hometown. Maggie Carpenter also has a problem, Ike Graham. ...
emu128 23.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Runaway Bride (DVD)
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Advantages: A super job done by David in the feature Disadvantages: only one episode
seen on DVD before!
*****
THE RUNAWAYBRIDE
Just as the Doctor thinks he is all alone, a bride named Donna suddenly appears on the TARDIS! How - he does not know yet! Some creature (which goes by the name of Racnoss) is trying to ruin her wedding, and it is up to the Doctor to save the wedding, cope with the stroppy bride, and save the world, all by himself on Christmas Eve!
MUSIC AND MONSTERS
This is the Doctor Who Children In Need musical concert. Confidential takes us behind the scenes for an exclusive look! This impressive show is filmed at Cardiff's very own Millenium Centre! We encounter many creatures from the past two series, and learn lots of interesting facts along Memory Lane, all presented by the gorgeous David Tennant!
*****
The RunawayBride was written by Russell T. Davies.
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MY OPINIONS!
This DVD is by ...
Advantages: more great entertainment/ more great humour Disadvantages: none
of work which will be enjoyed by many, if not all, who sit down to watch? it has everything that is needed for a good hours entertainment, having suspense, thrills, action, comedy and a form of car chase, and with some great acting what more can it offer?
Also, for future reference, it does have some hidden messages leading onto future episodes, but as you really need to see the future episodes, (which have been made), you will only see these clues as irrelevant words? such as the name Harold Saxon.
* Would I recommend this??
Yes I definitely would.
It is as silly as all the other episodes of Doctor Who and is exactly what you should come to expect from the show? silliness, entertainment, action and some edge of your seat suspense?
You can get a copy of this DVD from www.amazon.co.uk for less than £10.00... ...
Advantages: good acting, amusing, feel good Disadvantages: none i can think of
and the rich woman by Goldie hawn. The real husband is the man played by Edward Herrmann and the other 4 are the handiman's children. The story is centred around these people which is why i've listed only these.
The film is just ubnder 2hrs long at 1 hour and 48 minutes long. Quite long for a film that was made back in 1987!
The film is directed by Gary Marshall and was written by Leslie Dixon. More films that have been directed by Garry Marshall include Beaches with bette midler and Runawaybride with julia roberts.
The dvd i have doesn't have any extras as such - it just consists of the film and and you can change the language if need be or watch the trailer for the film. You can use it to skip to scenes of your choice though.
Overall this is a great film and as most people know kurt russell and goldie hawn are a couple in real life. ...
frankiecesca 07.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Overboard (DVD)
Ike Graham is a newspaper columnist who causes an uproar by writing a false story about Maggie Carpenter, a woman who has left a few men, literally, stranded at the altar. He sets about proving his story while Maggie plans to even the score - but neither can anticipate the sparks that will fly when they do eventually meet up...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
Touchstone Home Video; Technicolor Distribution Services
"...Roberts has a perfect role....[Gere] delivers a loose, disarming, quite appealing portrait..." (Variety, p.33-7, 26/07/1999)
DVD Description
A down-and-out big-city reporter (Richard Gere), in a last-ditch effort to save his tarnished career, chases a scoop on a mercurial, small-town girl (Julia Roberts) known as the Runaway Bride, due to her habit of leaving her grooms-to-be on the alter. Director Marshall once again directs the stars who made his PRETTY WOMAN a worldwide smash in 1990.
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