User reviews

So Ricky Lake is not the world's greatest actress, but she does well enough. The romance is reasonably believable. The story is friendly. And you get to watch Brendan Fraser for a long while - who is actually even more dishy as Hugh than as Bill, so do pay attention during the act in the train.

I watched it twice on television. I could easily bear watching it a third time. Believe me- that's high praise.

Because Brendan Fraser and Shirley Maclaine make it surprisingly bearable. Ricki Lake, God bless her, was, in a word, miscast; without the strength of Fraser and Maclaine, this movie is a two, at best a three. She's brings no life to the role, no reality. At best, she was an over-actor. At worst... well, she was a bad over-actor. A really, really bad over-actor. Still, for a movie that had so much potential (if not for the sometimes unbelievable -yet entertaining- storyline, then definitely for the two aforementioned lead actors) that was lost beneath the looming shadow that is Lake, I'd watch it again. If it were on cable TV... and if nothing else is on.

Connie (Ricki Lake) lost her mother at twelve in Hoboken, New Jersey. Because she did not get along with her father, Connie left NJ at 18 and went to NYC. Unfortunately, she immediately hooked up with a low-life named Steve and became pregnant. Steve was less than thrilled with the news and threw Connie out of the house. Although she works as a waitress for awhile, when her delivery date draws near, she finds herself broke and homeless. The next day , Connie boards a train she thinks is the subway but which turns out to be a railway to Boston. There, she is befriended by handsome, rich Hugh and his new and very pregnant wife Patricia. The train derails. Hugh and Patricia are killed. But, by a twist of fate, Connie is mistaken for Patricia and finds herself and her new baby in a private hospital, as befitting the wife of a member of the rich Winterbourne family. She meets her new mother-in-law (Shirley MacLaine) and her "husband's" twin brother, Bill (Brendan Fraser) and goes home to a posh, Boston mansion, complete with servants. Just how long will she be able to fool everyone into thinking she really is a part of the family? This is a nice little film for the proverbial romcom fan. MacLaine is wonderful as the matriarch of the wealthy family and Fraser is his usual handsome, quirky, affable self. Lake seems a bit miscast as the girl with a big secret but fulfills her role adequately. The sets, costumes, and production values are very high. Do you love improbable plots and unexpected, humorous romance? Make a date to see Mrs. W. and you will be in your element, absolutely.

'Mrs. Winterbourne' is a highly improbable take on the Cinderella "rags to riches" story about 18 year-old Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake), who finds herself enceinte, unmarried, and homeless. Her criminal rat of a boyfriend, Steve DeCunzo (Loren Dean), wants nothing to do with her or the baby. But fate has a better future in store for Connie, and the heavily pregnant girl finds herself, almost miraculously, on a train bound for Boston from New York. There she shares a compartment with a young married couple, Hugh and Patricia Winterbourne (Susan Haskell and Brendan Fraser), who are also expecting a little bundle of joy. But one little innocent action, followed by one horrifying accident, lands Connie in the hospital, mistaken for Patricia Winterbourne. She and her baby, who survived, are both whisked off to the massive Winterbourne estate in Boston. Connie decides to carry on the charade (it's almost ironic that her her name is Connie, since she's "conning" everyone) even after coming face to face with her coddling "mother-in-law" (Shirley MacLaine) and Hugh's twin brother, the cold and unfriendly Bill Winterbourne (also Brendan Fraser).

For a fluff film like this, the cast is surprisingly good. Loren Dean is convincing enough and makes you want to jump into your TV and strangle the jerk. The Winterbourne butler, Paco (Miguel Sandoval), is a delight to watch, especially when he's drunk. But Fraser and MacLaine really make the film worthwhile to see. Why either talented actor would want to participate in a film like this is a mystery to me, but maybe it's for the best. Fraser especially plays twins very well, and his transition from part antagonist to full protagonist is believable. But I have a difficult time understanding why Ricki Lake was cast as Connie. She has a tendency to overact in many scenes, she doesn't make a convincing 18 year-old at all (she was 28 when cast), and her transition from sharp-tongued teenager to polite young socialite bride-to-be is too fast and unbelievable.

Overall, 'Mrs. Winterbourne' is a good film for a boring Friday night. This is definitely a chick flick. It's heartwarming and the cast is a joy to watch. Just don't expect anymore than that.

The opening scene of Mrs. Winterbourne is gripping. I don't really want to reveal any of the plot, because it unfolds so beautifully if you have no idea what's coming.

Barbara Stanwyck starred in the original in 1950, entitled No Man of Her Own, and while the black-and-white version is also very entertaining, I like the remake a little better. The pace is a little quicker, and it keeps your attention better. In this version, Ricki Lake, Brendan Fraser, and Shirley MacLaine are the leads, and they play off each other very well.

Mrs. Winterbourne is a romance, a thriller, a mystery, and an all-around cute flick from the 90s. While I won't tell you the premise, the movie centers on a young woman trying to fit into a higher class than she was born into. If you like those kinds of movies, you'll really like this one!

This was a great film. Just because Ricki Lake stars in this movie doesn't automatically make it bad. It's a sweet story about a girl who had a rough life and accidentally finds herself with a ton of possibilities just unfortunately, as someone else. Ricki Lakes character has a lot of integrity and is truly a good mom along with all the chaos. Brendan Fraser is very lovable and Shirley Mclain was fabulous as only she could be. This is a definite rental if you haven't seen it and are looking for a sweet romantic comedy. You won't be disappointed.

Impossible comedy, an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's story "I Married a Dead Man" (previously filmed in 1950 as "No Man of Her Own"), concerns homeless, pregnant and incredibly naïve young woman coming into contact with a wealthy Bostonian family who believe she's an in-law. Ricki Lake has the lead, three years after debuting as a TV chat-show hostess; she seems groomed here to be the next Sandra Bullock, but she lacks the kind of softer charm that makes a star. Supporting cast includes Brendan Fraser, Shirley MacLaine and an unbilled Paula Prentiss, but not even their lively efforts can make this script easy to swallow (screenwriters Phoef Sutton and Lisa-Maria Radano have a distinct case of "While You Were Sleeping"-itis). As for Lake, she tries hard, yet she lacks the polish and the presence to carry a major screen role. *1/2 from ****

This movie has a special place in my heart. I watched years ago, I don't know how old I was, but it became my favorite. After that I've watched about 5 times and I never get enough of it. This is the perfect movie for those who love romance and a sweet love story.

Mrs Winterbourne is another in a line of modern Cinderella, a rags-to-riches story. It serves as a reminder that every so often we still hanker after Romance with a capital "R". It's fun and doesn't have pretensions of taking itself seriously. It's a lovely idea that a stiff young man would fall in love with a woman he initially disdains but Ricki Lake as the girl in question doesn't always pull it off. Shirley McLaine is, as always, wonderful to watch and just as delightful is Brendan Fraser.

The third version of William Irish's absorbing psychological thriller "I married a dead man",after Leisen's "no man of her own" (1950),starring Barbara Stanwyck, which I have not seen but would like to,Robin Davis's 1982 "j'ai épousé une ombre" starring Natalie Baye.That French attempt,although it did a lot of francs (no euros at the time),was a disappointment,because the heroine ,without her terrible guilty feeling,was devoid of interest, and because the scenarists felt compelled to secure a ridiculous happy end which the novel had not.William Irish's world is noir,desperate ,some of his short novels to rival the best of Poe.

What about Richard Benjamin's work?It's an insult to the great writer who once gave Hitchcock "rear window" .You simply cannot turn an Irish tragic heroine into a Pygmalion/my fair lady character .Connie was not a crude vulgar woman,she was a frail girl who said to us at the beginning of the book-which like Benjamin's film is a long flashback- "We've lost;that's all I know,we've lost".Oddly the part of the father has been ruled out,probably to make room for MacLaine who gets here the lion's share .The director does not know what he wants to do,a comedy or a thriller ,and the movie suffers accordingly.

Best performance:Baby Hughie.

Since I wrote my comment I had the opportunity to see "no man of her own";It's the best by far!

OH my god.

I just watched this. The tango scene is worth BUYING this movie for. I am surprised I do not see more about this movie on many of the Brendan websites. He is extremely hot in this.

All the other actors are really good in it as well.

But Brendan? *sigh*

Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake) walks away from home to make it in New York. She gets taken by a hustler and left pregnant. Alone and penniless, she accidentally boards a train to Boston. She is befriended by Hugh Winterbourne (Brendan Fraser) who is bringing home his pregnant wife Patricia from Hong Kong. When the train crashes, both Hugh and Patricia are killed. Connie wakes up 8 days later after delivering the baby. The authorities had mistaken her for Patricia. When she is brought to Hugh's mother Grace Winterbourne (Shirley MacLaine), she is shock that Hugh has identical twin Bill. Paco (Miguel Sandoval) is the chauffeur.

The premise needs one central idea that can never be breached. Connie is not a gold digger. She has an easy excuse to see Grace. She needs to give her the news in person and return the ring. When she sees Grace in a sickly state, she can't bring herself to give her the bad news. Then she can spend her time caring for Grace. Bill can come home later and the rest is easy to write. With a few structural tweaks, this could be "While You Were Sleeping" 2 but it's not up to that level. Then it goes into black comedy area. It's kinda fun to go dark and that helps save the last act. This could be better.

To be honest, Shirley McClaine is what made this movie at least somewhat entertaining at parts. Shirley McClaine shines in all of her scenes, as she always does in literally every movie she is involved in. The only real problem with this movie is that sometimes the writing can become dull and as a result, the scene and the comedic value in it suffers from it. Yes you have Shirley McClaine's wonderful witty humor and great acting abilities, but sometimes the writing can be underwhelming and then that just brings the whole scene down. Ricki Lake was pretty good in the lead role as Connie Doyle, I don't think that she's a bad actress and I don't think at all that she gave a poor performance here. Like I said, I think one of the movies main problems is the underwhelming writing that can come up sometimes, but I think another problem with Mrs. Winterbourne is Brendan Fraser. Now I don't mean to hate on Brendan Fraser, and I think he has given some good acting performances in other films, but to be honest, I just didn't think he was a good fit in this movie. I didn't like the way he came across in most scenes, and I just didn't like him as a character until the very end, and even then he seemed to me like he was stuck in some cheesy run-of-the-mill Hallmark movie, I just thought he gave a poor performance here. 6/10 overall for Mrs. Winterbourne seems fair.

First off, if you want to enjoy this one, be prepared to suspend disbelief. The plot hinges on a number of incredibly unlikely coincidences, in the manner of '30's screwball comedies. It doesn't always work, but parts of it are so hysterically funny I'd definitely recommend seeing it. The script is uneven, with the first 20 minutes slow and somewhat depressing. But with the introduction of Fraser and MacLaine it perks up a whole lot. The central problem of this movie is that Ricki Lake simply isn't a strong enough actress to carry a lead role. Her Connie comes across as merely dumb, rather than vulnerable, and she's just not all that funny. To see how Connie should have been played, watch Sandra Bullock in "While You Were Sleeping", playing a very similar role infinitely better. MacLaine is terrific as the iron-willed, acid-tongued Winterbourne matriarch, but Fraser steals the show! He has a deadpan delivery that enhances the good lines he's given, but even when he's silent, he's funny. He has terrifically versatile facial expressions that can push a scene from amusing to hilarious. Also, Miguel Sandoval is great as the bossy, flamboyant butler. There is some great side-business between MacLaine, Fraser and Sandoval as the two men conspire to try and keep her healthy, and she sneaks around smoking and drinking. It's fluffy stuff, but these 3 experienced comic performers milk it for everything it's worth. That could pretty much sum up the whole movie: light on plot, light on plausibility, but very very funny. With a different actress exploiting Connie's comic potential this one could have been a gem. As it is, it's flawed but definitely worth seeing. The "tango" scene alone is worth the price of the video.

This is not a real review, it should be understood more as a collection of impressions on the film.

Very classic nineties comedy based on the very classic mechanics of misunderstandings with the very classic morality of love which triumphs in the end. Even though this film is obviously something very banal, it really entertains a lot thanks to various ridiculous or at least truly funny situations. So if someone likes romantic comedies whose sole purpose is to entertain without conveying much, this film is perfect because it entertains lightly without demanding much attention from the viewer. Nice.

What an absolute disservice to both Shirley McClain and Brendan Fraser. Rickey Lake could not act her way out of an open, wet paper bag with a utility knife in both hands. Holy crap she is awful. RL bogs this entire movie down. It could have been a good movie. A good story it has. And some real heavy hitters in the cast.

But then that dumbass director casts Rickey effing Lake as the lead??? Her performance is beyond terrible. I felt like I was watching a walk-in go up to a stage she didn't even know existed until she fell flat on her face onto it. It was hard to watch. REALLY hard to watch. The reflective shame of Rickey Lake's cringe-worthy performance was insanely uncomfortable. How she was ever let back on any type of screen after this catastrophe is incomprehensible.

I haven't seen this movie in like 20 years! I'm watching it today. Good 90's movie.

I just finished watching this movie on TV and couldn't understand why anyone would bother releasing this film to theater other than to cash in on some reputable names of actors that obviously made poor decisions, furthermore why anyone would bother spending more than pocket lint to be subjected to such pathetic dribble.

For starters, if this character found herself in such a sit com like situation as she did, why didn't she just tell the truth instead of dragging things out until the inevitable, tedious and way too predictable end.

Brendan Fraser is a capable actor and what can I say about Shirley MacLaine. Ricki Lake although, with her best performance since "Hairspray", should now reserve herself for the kind of melodrama that only daytime television affords her.

After losing 2 hours of my life already to this travesty, I feel it is my duty to spare my fellow viewers from the same horror that I have just endured.