A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

The Evaluation System Reviews by Title Reviews by Date

Reviews from Video Reviews of the Classics Personal Background

Title: Rumor Has It...

Date Viewed: 12/29/05

Details:

Jennifer Aniston

Kevin Costner

Shirley MacLaine

Mark Ruffalo

Richard Jenkins

Mena Suvari

Director: Rob Reiner

Score: 1/2

The Review: A romantic comedy with a lot more angst than normal; not Reiner's best.

It's a great premise: somewhere in Pasadena, there is a family and situation that was the template for the Robinson's in The Graduate. The current generation (Aniston) is struggling with the secrets of life, the universe and everything. And as luck would have it, she returns to town for her sister's wedding, stumbles onto pieces of the secret family history, gets confirmation in some surprising places, and eventually goes AWOL.

An excellent casting choice was made when they selected Shirley MacLaine to play the elder Mrs. Robinson -- absolutely superb, and probably the only actress extant in Hollywood who could carry this off with both humor and just the right tinge of acid. Costner also carries himself quite well, but it's MacLaine that steals what show there is. A very familiar character actor (Jenkins) does a good turn as the father.

(30-Dec-05)

Back to the chronological list of reviews