Plays like 'The Insider' infused with Capra

Rating: Null/10 (24 February 2000)

I don't know how much of the "based on a true story" proviso is lip service, but the film's generally mild, sunny disposition at least FEELS like honesty. No one is ever particularly menacing or even mean to Ms. Roberts during her exertions, although there's a good deal of curt retorts along the way. The punchlines and feel-good moments are expected but welcome. The laughs are genuine. The ending is cute. Soderbergh plays the proceedings surprisingly straight for a change. No stunts, no gimmicks. "All heart," I'm sure the marketers would hasten to add. But it's pleasant (if ultimately unexceptional) to view a movie where the exploitation is kept to a minimum.