I was introduced to this movie by my wife. At first, I thought "Oh no, not another romcom!". I am a huge X-FILES fan, and took some solace in the fact that David Duchovny was involved. Still, I figured I was doomed.
Well, I'm extremely happy to report that the opposite was true. I even tried to find fault with the movie, until realizing it was actually very good.
Duchovny shows a deeper, sensitive (!) side as Bob Rueland that I never would have expected. The loss of his wife (Joely Richardson) causes him to break down and withdraw from everything. Duchovney pulls this off in realistic fashion. My jaw dropped, and -egad!- I cried!
Minnie Driver's Grace Briggs, who has a physical issue that allows for the central drama / romance to unfold, is genuine and warm without being tiresome. Her grandfather and uncle (Carroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia) are a pair of gruff, older gentlemen who love each other in spite of their constant bickering.
Enter Writer, Director Bonnie Hunt and Jim Belushi as Grace's friends, and parents of a big family of their own. The interactions between them are hysterical and touching. My God! They're like a real family!
Ms. Hunt has definitely hit the top of her game here. The situations roll out naturally, even when they seem a bit impossible or somewhat supernatural. The comedy is perfectly sewn into the story, as is the tragedy. This makes the movie funny and uplifting. In other words: You may be laughing through tears.
I'm glad I was shown this film and would recommend it to anyone looking for a non-sappy, modern love story...
