Even though I’m pleased to report that this film has audio descritpion on Paramount Plus, it does always strike me as to what titles do and don’t. This title especially, because the audio description track sounds like it was made at least 10+ years ago, and with the way audio description tracks rarely travel, it was a pleasant surprise to see that this was something that someone had maintained this track. Kudos.

A lot of my anniversary releases target films that have audio description. Runaway bride is not a significant classic, but it was quite the hype of its time, as it featured the reteaming of Richard Gere and Julia Robert’s, along with director Garry Marshall, and fellow Pretty Woman co-star Hector Elizandro. Also along for this runaway, is Christopher Meloni, who plays the man hoping his bride doesn’t run, as well as Joan Cusack, as a friend of Julia Robert’s. Cusack in particular should be given better material. this is shortly after her Oscar nomination for In And out, where she proved she’s a scene stealer if given the right stuff to do.

But the movie is just really average. It centers around a columnist (Gere) who hears a tail spun by a drunkard in a bar, and decides to write a full column about this woman who leaves her men at the altar, calling her out by name. After news of this article reaches that woman (Robert’s), she reaches out and threatens to sue his publisher. They fire him, but his friend (Elizandro) suggests that perhaps GQ might be interested. So, our chauvinist heads off to parts unknown seeking redemption, and hoping to catch his runaway bride. However, since this is a romantic comedy, of course Gere and Roberts slowly fall for each other, and this heads exactly where you think.

Since actors like Viggot Mortensen are calling film criticism to task, because that degree I have on my wall that I’m paying student loans are means nothing to him, I will say I’ve seen this before, and likely at least one other time, so it isn’t painful to get through. there are films like Pretty Woman, which transcend their genre and become these true classics of their genre. Romantic comedies in general have been capturing the appeal of their audience forever, as beautiful men and beautiful women often were cast opposite each other. It speaks highly to the chemistry that Gere and Roberts had the first time around, that an entire film is greenlit just to get these two back together.

But, it feels forced, and it feels obvious. We see the humanization of one character, who we were told at the beginning was not the hopeless romantic type. But, as he’s worn down by the charm of Julia Roberts, and the small town appeal of her life in contrast to his from the city, he becomes a new person.

The soundtrack hee is nice, with some hit songs populating the various moments, but it always feels more like an idea than a movie. I wonder if the leads had never been in a film together, and the director had to earn this dynamic how that would have turned out. Relying on effortless charm that worked once before isn’t really a skill set, it’s just a smart business decision.

Will I watch this again in my lifetime? Who knows. It isn’t a personal favorite of mine, but if someone else wanted to watch it, I wouldn’t leave the room. It’s mediocre that is leveled up slightly from a continued relationship that we already knew worked.

Final Grade: C+