The Gimmick Works in RUMOR HAS IT movie review by Betty Jo Tucker

A clever gimmick helps Rumor Has It stand out among romantic comedy releases of the past few years. Piggy-backing on The Graduate, the story follows a soul-searching granddaughter of the real Mrs. Robinson as she tries to find out if the man played by Dustin Hoffman in the popular 1967 film is her biological father. Outstanding performances by Jennifer Aniston, Shirley MacLaine, Kevin Costner and Mark Ruffalo add to the enjoyment of this entertaining Rob Reiner movie.

When grandma Katherine (MacLaine) tells Sarah (Aniston) that her late mother ran away with a man named Beau Burroughs shortly before her wedding, Sarah thinks she might have been conceived during the time her mom stayed with Beau. She believes that could explain why she is so unlike her father and sister. But when Sarah finds Beau (Costner), he insists he could not be her father and even offers a plausible explanation why not.

Despite their age difference and the fact that Sarah already has a wonderful fiancé (Ruffalo), Beau and Sarah feel attracted to each other. I was completely surprised by the warm and exciting chemistry between Aniston and Costner in their scenes together here. That probably explains my lack of shock when nature takes its course and Aniston’s character becomes the third woman in her family (granddaughter, mother, daughter) to sleep with the same man. Granted, this theme is something of a sticky wicket, but it’s handled as delicately as possible -- and the film closes with a very satisfactory ending.

Would Rumor Has It work without the fine actors who appear in its key roles? Probably not. Aniston, the darling of TV’s Friends, throws her heart and soul into her convincing performance, and the always watchable MacLaine brings Mrs. Robinson (originally played by the great Anne Bancroft) to life again, albeit as a salty, sexy senior citizen. Costner, still extremely easy on the eye and ear, is Mr. Charm personified, and Ruffalo comes across so appealing that we want everything to come out right for him.

Filmmaker Reiner knows how to move things along with a light touch and he certainly applies that important skill here. Rumor Has It may not be in the same class as his memorable When Harry Met Sally or, of course, The Graduate, but it’s definitely a fun film for incurable romantics like me.

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated “PG-13” for mature thematic material, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference.)