Movie Review: Only You (1994)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Director: Norman Jewison

Starring: Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Bonnie Hunt

Running Time: 109 minutes

Synopsis: Since she was a child, Faith (Marisa Tomei) has believed her destiny is to meet and marry a man called Damon Bradley. Instead she is 10 days away from marrying boring podiatrist Dwayne. When she receives a chance phone call from someone called Damon Bradley who is traveling to Venice, Faith immediately sets off to Italy accompanied by her best friend and sister-in-law Kate (Bonnie Hunt), who has her own marriage problems. In Rome Faith bumps into an American (Robert Downey Jr.) who may just be the man of her dreams, while Kate is pursued by suave Italian shop owner Giovanni (Joaquim de Almeida).

What Works Well: Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. are an attractive couple and share an effortless chemistry. Director Norman Jewison surrounds them with scenic Italian locations, including Venice, Rome, and the picturesque seaside village of Positano. Some of Tomei's gowns are stellar, while Bonnie Hunt injects the typical sidekick role with more-than-usual substance.

What Does Not Work As Well: The premise is ridiculous, even for a rom-com, resulting in Faith acting like a nitwit. But Robert Downey Jr.'s character is an unreliable serial liar, so maybe they are a perfect match. 

Conclusion: The alluring stars and Mediterranean backdrops are easy to enjoy, just as the entire movie is easy to forget.



All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Beethoven (1992)

A child-friendly comedy, Beethoven offers harmless laughs in the story of an amiable dog adopting a family and guiding them in and out of various messes.

A St. Bernard puppy escapes from evil veterinarian Dr. Varnick (Dean Jones) and his two dognappers (Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt), and makes its way to the suburban home of George Newton (Charles Grodin). The three Newton kids Ryce, Ted and Emily are immediately enamoured with the puppy, and their mother Alice (Bonnie Hunt) helps convince the dubious George to keep it.

The dog is given the name Beethoven and grows into a big, slobbering, messy but lovable adult. Beethoven becomes an essential family member, protecting George from shady business investors, supporting Ted against school bullies, rescuing Emily from a pool incident and helping Ryce meet her cute classmate. But Dr. Varnick still has nefarious plans, placing Beethoven and all the Newtons in peril.

Co-produced by Ivan Reitman and directed by Brian Levant, Beethoven delivers family-suitable laughs, yuks and yukky laughs. The script by Edmond Dantès and Amy Holden Jones stays within all the safe zones for young children with just a few zingers thrown in for the adults to enjoy, and with a big friendly dog as the center of attention and three kids to interact with, the humour is easy to find.

To support young attention spans the narrative structure is episodic, as Beethoven gets a succession of relatively short set-pieces to demonstrate his smarts. A few end in riots of laughter, including the escapades of the malicious investor couple (David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton) seeking to steal George's business. Dr. Varrick's heartless plot supplies the overarching wickedness connecting the introduction to the climax, but of course he is up against a wholesome family pulling together.

The visuals are smooth, Levant often adopting a dog's point of view as a few other 4-legged friends of Beethoven woof their way into the story. Mercifully, just the one musical montage sneaks in, here used to fast-track Beethoven's growth from cute and small to still cute but not-so-small.

Fully aware who the real star is, the human actors easily slip into support mode, Charles Grodin playing up his set-upon dad persona, Bonnie Hunt countering with the sympathetic mom adept at finding her husband's soft spots. Dean Jones is the caricaturish villain, staying just on the right side of not-too-scary, while his sidekicks chase after bumbling laughs, both Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt paying their dues in relatively early roles.

Full of energy if not originality, Beethoven is easy viewing.



All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.

The Movies Of Bonnie Hunt

All movies starring Bonnie Hunt and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Rain Man (1988)

Beethoven (1992)

Dave (1993)

Only You (1994)

Now And Then (1995)

Jumanji (1995)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Random Hearts (1999)

The Green Mile (1999)

Toy Story 3 (2010, voice only)

Toy Story 4 (2019, voice only)

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
The Movie Star Index is here.