Rumor Has It Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)December 23rd, 2005
RUMOR HAS IT...
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
RUMOR HAS IT... begins by telling us that it is, "Based on a true rumor." The predictable and formulaic film almost screams "just wait for video." This tepid comedy is by director Rob Reiner whose other dot-dot-dot film, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... is one of funniest comedies ever. But his latest movie rarely rises about the level of kind of cute.
The promising premise of the fictional plot is that the book and movie THE GRADUATE was based on a real Pasadena family. Kevin Costner gives a smooth and effortless performance as Beau Burroughs. In THE GRADUATE, we are told, Dustin Hoffman's character of Benjamin Braddock, another BB name, was based on the real-life exploits of Beau Burroughs. Mrs. Robinson was supposedly based on Katharine Richelie, played as a tough old broad by Shirley MacLaine, who refuses to ever be called "Grandma."
The mild movie mystery concerns whether Katharine's granddaughter Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) was conceived by accident in an affair in Mexico between Beau and Sarah's now deceased mother. That Beau slept with both Sarah's mother and grandmother is quickly established, but whether Beau is Sarah's biological father is in doubt. A soused Sarah ends up sleeping with Beau too, which engendered lots of loudly verbal "yucks" and other words of derision from our audience.
MacLaine, in her relatively small part, steals one scene after another. While toasting the wedding of Sarah's sister Annie (Mena Suvari), a plastered Katherine proclaims, "Life is short, but marriage is long, so drink up and it'll make it go a hell of a lot faster." And, in her big confrontation scene with Beau, the gunslinger showdown theme from one of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns plays loudly in the background.
In a completely unconvincing performance, Mark Ruffalo plays Jeff Daly. He is supposed to be engaged to Sarah, but this is a romance-free romantic comedy. Although we are supposed to believe that Sarah is having doubts about whom she loves, it is quite clear that she doesn't really love anyone during any part of the picture. All of the movie's pairings, including that of Sarah's sister and her new husband, seem randomly assigned like a series of arranged marriages.
This lightweight comedy, featuring lots of beautiful people in luxurious settings, does have its moments. You'll undoubtedly laugh some, but, unless you're an Internet mogul like Beau with your own private jet, your reaction on leaving will probably be that you didn't quite get your money's worth of entertainment. But, if you listened to my advice in the beginning of this review, you're probably smugly realizing that this movie was worth the price of a video rental, even if not more.
RUMOR HAS IT... runs 1:37. It is rated PG-13 for "mature thematic material, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Christmas Day, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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