Cinema Review (From Penarth Times)

Cinema Review

America's Sweethearts (12)

HOLLYWOOD often sends itself up in films like Notting Hill and Bowfinger and the latest is America's Sweethearts, a romantic comedy with wonderful characters (or so they say).

Eddie and Gwen are two stars who have an off-screen relationship and the public love it. But when they split up, their films begin to fail at the box-office.

The film studio wants to see the last film they shot together but the director Hal Weidmann wants to show it at a press junket.

Everyone would love it if they could appear for the first time together after they split, so publicist Lee Phillips (not the Barry Town player) must convince them to co-operate, but Gwen's sister loves Eddie.

Well that's the storyline and to be fair it's not a bad idea. The only problem is, the romance isn't very convincing and it's hard to care about any of the characters.

An all-star cast of John Cusack, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julia Roberts and Billy Crystal is served well. Each and every one of them try their best, but their characters are people who are just irritating.

Ex-Walt Disney chairman Joe Roth tries his best behind the camera but the script is unfunny and pointless at times. His stab at the film industry is very good but that is probably the only decent thing in the picture. The rest is dragged out and makes your backside ache.

It will work for some people though. It is a relaxed film with a couple of mildly funny jokes, but I'm a person who likes to see interesting stuff in films, rather than watch Zeta Jones, Roberts and Cusack in a pathetic love triangle. It's a shame to see Joe Roth directing rubbish!