Rumor Has It

Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine

Studio: Warner Bros.

Rating: 6/10

CORPORATE LINE :
Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) is in a fog. She’s finally agreed to marry her boyfriend Jeff (Mark Ruffalo), but isn’t at all sure that marriage is what she really wants. Now she’s on her way home to attend her sister’s wedding, which means spending a lot of time with the tennis-obsessed Pasadena family that she’s never felt quite a part of. It isn’t until Sarah stumbles into a well-kept family secret that she starts to question her roots and sets off in search of the man who may have the answers she’s looking for (Kevin Costner).

THE GOOD:
The women. Jennifer Aniston shines as a neurotic, scatter-brained fiancée that doesn’t fit in with the rest of her family. Her quirky wit and girl-next-door charm are instantly appealing. Shirley is amusing as Aniston’s grandmother—a glamorous but embittered member of Pasadena’s elite. MacLaine makes the best out of the sometimes-shaky script. And Kathy Bates is a treat in an all-too-brief cameo as Aniston’s Aunt Mitzi.

THE BAD:
The shoddy attempts at wittiness, all-too-convenient plot resolutions and corny one-liners. It’s surprising that Rob Reiner would stoop to the lowest common denominator in having MacLaine’s character drunkenly blurt out lines like “Go play with your dick,” or “Go shit in your shoes.” Not only are these musings far overdone, the cheap laughs they might elicit detract from what is otherwise a clever storyline. Kevin Kostner is at his monotone best as an eccentric high-tech tycoon. In his introductory scene he waxes affectionately about pop icon Che Guevara, inexplicably linking the Cuban revolutionary’s legacy to that of the up-and-coming Internet (the film takes place in 1997). Again, I’m not sure what Reiner was smoking—but I don’t think it was just Cuban cigars. To top it off, there certainly are enough easy answers to any lingering questions one might have during the narrative to make its conclusion all nice and tidy, as well as warm and fuzzy.

FRANKLY:
With a considerable cast and crew, and a clever premise Rumor Has It… has the makings of a top-notch romantic comedy. It’s too bad it often gets bogged down in so many of the little details.

+ Jim Kaz