Review of Return to Me (2000) by Courtney T — 03 Feb 2008

Being a member of the male persuasion, I often gag at love stories. Usually, the only chance I have at liking one is if there's some comedy mixed in. And good doses too. If the sap is laid on too thick, I'm out the door.

"Return To Me" has a lot of good laughs and an overall good-natured feel about it. It also is very cute and very sweet and very....well, whatever other words you usually don't hear from guys.

The movie stars David Duchovny as Bob Rueland, a construction worker with the good life. His wife Elizabeth (Joely Richardson) works at a zoo with a gorilla she taught sign language to. At a dinner function one night, Elizabeth seeks contributions to build the gorilla a new, bigger habitat to live in. Bob promises her he'll do it himself if need be.

Their happy life is cut short when Elizabeth dies in a car accident. Her heart is donated to Grace Briggs (Minnie Driver), who recovers from her illness and is thankful for her second chance at life.

Bob's life is slowly but surely getting back to normal, but he spends most of his time making true on his promise to build the new habitat at the zoo. Then, one night, he meets Grace, who's waitressing at her grandfather's Italian/Irish restaurant. He feels an immediate attraction to her.

Of course, they'll end up dating and getting serious, but I'll stop right there. What makes this movie fun is the colorful assortment of surrounding characters. Grace's grandfather Marty (Carroll O'Connor) owns the restaurant with his brother-in-law Angelo (Robert Loggia), and they spend countless after-hours playing cards and debating who the greatest singers are, male and female, dead and alive.

Marty and Angelo also engage in a bit of scheming to get Bob and Grace together, which makes for a lot of laughs.

Grace's friend Megan (Bonnie Hunt) often offers her friend advice, but she has problems of her own. Her husband Joe (James Belushi) is your typical rugged, beer-drinking kind who spends not exactly quality time with his foul-mouthed kids. There are a lot of laughs in these scenes. Watch for one in particular where Joe dances about shirtless in the kitchen.

Last but certainly not least, Duchovny and Driver are likeable, believable characters. Driver's big bright eyes reflect that of a person who is enjoying her second chance at life. Duchovny reflects the same, in a way, since he's getting a second chance to love.

A prevailing consensus of this movie is that a lot of people will hate it. Maybe. But I didn't. I laughed a lot, felt good throughout and was entertained. Its a movie worth checking out and good date movie. One of my favorites.