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How long has it been since you've seen a really touching, funny, and romantic film? Not since Sleepless in Seattle, you say. Well, cheer up and take a look at Return To Me, starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. It's a joy to watch. In fact, I didn't want the film to end. The characters, even supporting cast members, seemed more like cherished family members than actors.
Taking a vacation from his X-Files persona, Duchovny delivers a seamless performance as an architect who grieves deeply over the loss of his wife (Joely Richardson) in a car accident. Matching him scene for scene, the lovely Driver surpasses her Oscar-nominated work in Good Will Hunting. She captivated me immediately by whispering "Rosebud" to her sister while lying in a hospital bed waiting for a heart transplant. From that moment on, I wanted only the best for the plucky waitress. After receiving Duchovny's dead wife's heart, Driver meets him a year later and the two fall in love. Does this sound corny and contrived? Yes indeed, but under the skillful direction of Bonnie Hunt, it actually works.
Hunt, making her directorial debut here, plays Driver's witty sister with the same comic flair displayed in such films as Dave and Jerry Maguire. Hunt, Driver, and Duchovny are joined by pros Carroll O'Connor, Robert Loggia, James Belushi, and David Alan Grier to make up one of the year's best ensemble casts. O'Connor's convincing portrayal of Driver's sweet Irish grandfather, owner of O'Reilly's Italian restaurant, contains not a trace of Archie Bunker. As O'Connor's chief cook and best friend, Loggia (Lost Highway) made me wish everyone had a loyal buddy like that. Grier (In Living Color) also excels as Duchovny's concerned pal. Last, but not least, Belushi (The Principal) gets plenty of laughs as Hunt's excitable husband, especially with his not-so-sexy "belly-dance."
Delightful moments fill the screen in this gem of a movie --- a gorilla who knows sign language, a nun on a bicycle, Duchovny's first poker game, etc. And I loved its oldies-but-goodies background music. I enjoyed listening to those wonderful vocals by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Smokey Robinson, and Jewel --- as well as to nostalgic instrumentals by the Jackie Gleason Orchestra, Rudy Gabor's Strolling Strings, and Shepheard's Jazz Orchestra.
This enchanted romantic comedy is set in Chicago, a city where filmmaker Hunt has her roots. "Chicago is a character in itself," she declares. "There's a certain kindness that permeates the story, and a lot of these characters are from my childhood." Hunt's writing partner Don Lake adds, "Bonnie and I wanted to make a really nice love story with lots of romance that had a fairy tale quality to it but also a slice-of-life quality making you laugh one minute and cry the next --- or vice versa."
Hunt and Lake certainly succeeded in accomplishing their goal. They have created a very special film.
(Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and rated "PG" for language and thematic elements.)
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