Rated PG-13
I n what is either a sassy updating of the fable of marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey as an
unlikely pair who somehow manage to get together -- against all odds, of course.
The tired story is predictable: Lopez’s Italian(!), anal-retentive Mary (so particular that she alphabetizes the credit
cards in her wallet) runs into Steve (McConaughey) on a San Francisco street, and soon they’re whisked off to
an impromptu date in Golden Gate Park. Oops -- Stevie is about to get hitched to Fran (Wilson-Sampras), and
Mary’s been hired to plan the wedding!
For much longer stretches, the film is just plain slow and boring, consisting of ridiculous, random setups
designed to get our star-crossed lovers intertwined, with an inevitable punch line to pay it all off. When Fran’s
family goes horseback riding (for some reason bringing Mary along on the trip), of course her horse is going to
bolt and Steve will have to save her. When Fran leaves town for a week and Mary and Steve go shopping for
statues, of course a stone penis is going to break off and get glued to Steve’s hand. But the biggest insult
has to be a truly wretched subplot, which has Mary’s father (Alex Rocco) actually arranging a marriage for Mary
with some schlub from back home.
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Justin Chambers, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Judy Greer,
Alex Rocco, Joanna Gleason, Kevin Pollak, Charles Kimbrough, Fred Willard, Lou Myers, Frances Bay