# Runaway Bride (1999)

### reviewed by
Indra Moeljadi

    Review

Directed by Garry Marshall. Starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. What first comes to mind when hearing those names is Pretty Woman. So, you'll probably think it's Pretty Woman part 2. Well it's not, because this time Julia Roberts isn't playing a prostitute but a country girl. The rest is pretty much the same. What else do you expect?

The opening scene was Julia Roberts riding a horse, very fast, with her wedding dress, while U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. From the movie title, Runaway Bride, with that song (which Bono wrote about God/religion, not about love!) you can guess. Julia Roberts is a Runaway Bride.

The story: Ike Graham (Richard Gere) is a columnist for USA Today in New York. That day he decided to write about man-eaters, if you know Hall & Oates' song, after hearing some guy's story. And the victim is Maggie Carpenter, a local girl from Hale, Maryland, who ditched her guys 3 times at the altar. Maggie sends a complaining letter to the editor and Ike is out of his job. But he doesn't give up. He goes to Hale to find out the truth about Maggie, who is planning to give it a fourth try. So the story continues, and you'll probably already knew the ending after 15 minutes.

For Julia Roberts, after she starred in Notting Hill, I was rather hoping to see her in a better movie. Something like Conspiracy Theory. And Gere shouldn't lower his level to this Pretty Woman-level again. But they did. They probably did a good job in Runaway Bride, but the story was lousy. It was a typical Hollywood story. I think Adam Sandler did a better version in The Wedding Singer.

There was one time when I really laughed, and that was the part when they were showing the crowd in the church for the wedding. Half of the church filled with local Hale people, while the other half was filled with New Yorkers, complete with their suits, sunglasses, and mobile phones. And a joke about FedEx. But that's about it.

My last words, if you are planning to relax and get some laughs without even thinking you can watch this movie. But if you prefer a real movie, don't go to this one.

    Indra Moeljadi
    Likes his eggs, however they're prepared

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