America's Sweethearts

Eddie Thomson and Gwen Harrison are America's Sweethearts.  The world's best loved couple, on-screen and off-screen, every film they make is an automatic sell out.  Except, maybe, for this one.

The film shows what happens at the press junket for Eddie and Gwen's latest film.  Unfortunately, it was on the set of said film that Gwen met her new partner, Hector, and she and Eddie split up.

Although the film is ostensibly about Eddie and Gwen, the camera spends more time on their publicist, Lee, played by Billy Crystal, and Gwen's PA and sister, Kiki, played by Julia Roberts.  The director of the film has refused to deliver it, insisting that it is first seen by the press, and Lee needs to make sure the press remain distracted until the movie turns up.  The best way to do this, is to put the focus on Gwen and Eddie's relationship, for which he enlists Kiki's help.  However, Kiki has her own problems.

The relationship between the two sisters is interesting.  It's not immediately clear that the two are sisters, mainly due to the fact that Gwen treats Kiki like a skivvy.  Gwen is used to getting her own way, and is not above using manipulation to get it.  Even though Kiki can see straight through her, she usually lets Gwen push her around, as she always has, since high school, when Kiki was the one who broke up with Gwen's boyfriends, ending the school year as "the most hated girl in school".  This may have been due to the fact that Kiki, as many characters observed, used to be fat, thereby leading to low self esteem.  She has, however, dropped sixty pounds before the movie starts, and is looking better than ever, something that is soon noticed by Eddie.  Although he is still too hung up on Gwen (almost obsessed, as he observed later) to realise how his feelings for Kiki are developing.

The film, to be honest is hilarious.  While Gwen is doing her best to get the media back onto her side at the junket, Eddie no longer cares what anyone thinks.  With Lee's machinations ensuring that every small event or comment is misconstrued, and Gwen's out of control lover challenging Eddie at every possible opportunity, the film soon descends into chaos.  All the actors are amazing, and am I the only one to see the resemblance between John Cusack and a young Billy Crystal?  This is the only film I've seen John Cusack in, and I must admit, I adore him.  Cusack, Roberts, Crystal and Zita-Jones all work really well together.

In summary, there are lots of emotions on screen, lots of jabs at Hollywood, a few plates smashing, a rather surprising dog, and someone falling off a roof.  It's not the deepest or most thought provoking film, but nor is it pure fluff.  It's lighthearted and funny, and, frankly, I love it.  The soundtrack's great too - I actually watched the credits two or three times in a row, just to listen to the songs played over them.