Cast delivers laughs in 'America?s Sweethearts?

"America's Sweethearts"

Directed by: Joe Roth

Starring: John Cusack, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Rated: PG-13

Since June 1, I've been looking for a film that would define this summer.

"A.I." got pretty close, but I knew it wasn't "it." "Shrek" was great as well, but it still didn't go ALL the way, and the blockbusters like "Pearl Harbor," et al., are just plain (or plane) ridiculous. So where's the definitive summer movie for this year?

"America's Sweethearts" may be it. With a cast that includes America's sweetheart (she made hookers just so lovable in "Pretty Woman") Julia Roberts and a completely wonderful ensemble, this film bills itself as a romantic comedy and certainly delivers the goods on that front. But it also goes a whole lot further, delving in, to territory covered by pieces like Robert Altman's "The Player," and more recently, "Bowfinger."

Comic Billy Crystal, coming off a career high after writing and directing the great baseball piece "61*" for HBO, has fashioned a fine screenplay that pokes a lot of fun at the very hand that feeds it. In a world gone mad, where players like Roberts command $20 million a picture, it's a wonder to see people brave enough to produce a film that gives Hollywood a little sock on the jaw.

John Cusack, an actor who is nearly as engaging as America's other sweetheart, Tom Hanks, stars as Eddie Thomas, who is one half of Hollywood's most beloved couple du jour, Eddie and Gwen. Gwen Harrison is played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, who does a great job of portraying a person that we all suspect really exists. Never mind how much money one makes, how much fame one receives, how utterly silly the method by which one earns one's living, it just must be so HARD to be a celebrity.

Lucky for her, Gwen has a (formerly frumpy) sister, Kiki, to cater to her every whim. And boy, does she have a lot of whims. Julia Roberts does a great job, and shows she's not afraid to take a back seat, as Kiki. She's the one audiences will gravitate to, and the chemistry between her and Cusack comes across all the way to the big screen. The love story here is the one that evolves between Eddie and Kiki. In a few flashback scenes, we're treated to Kiki as a somewhat overweight yes-girl, and Roberts is to be commended for having the wherewithal to take on this role. It may be the best performance she's delivered (certainly the bravest) since her debut in "Mystic Pizza."

Billy Crystal, who co-wrote the film, gives himself quite a juicy role. He's the studio press agent just fired by the megalomaniac head of the company, played by Stanley Tucci.

Crystal's character, Lee Phillips, has one last job to do: Make America believe that its sweethearts, Eddie and Gwen, are still sweethearts and that their latest film, "Time Over Time," is a classic romantic whirl.

One thing that impedes Lee's designated purpose is the bizarre director of the film, a guy who bought Ted Kaczynski's old cabin, moved it to his property and does his film editing in it. Who else but Christopher Walken could have played this role?

I laughed out loud more than a few times during "America's Sweethearts," a film I think has been misrepresented (maybe wisely so) in its press and previews. It's a pretty funny, and considering it's a mainstream release, fairly risky take on all of the neuroses that plague the poor little rich folks who make more money in a month than most of us will see in a lifetime.

Joe Roth, who had the nerve to direct "Revenge of the Nerds II," isn't really a guy I look to for a quality film. But with "America's Sweethearts" he's redeemed himself, and I think this movie will have a universal appeal. The cast will draw a large crowd, but the great story will attract the audience that will give this film its "legs."

Crystal is on a roll, and when "61*" makes it to video, don't hesitate to rent it. The same goes for this film, but I wouldn't wait that long. The theaters are air-conditioned, you know.

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)