Impossible to dislike

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2005)

Despite some of the negative reviews and the modest viewer rating, my view is that this is still a movie that is impossible to dislike. It's a warm, wonderful, funny, feel good fantasy, set in an almost "never never land." (Winnipeg never looked so good!) The casting in perfect. Susan Sarandon is ideal. So is Gere. All the others are made for their parts. Much of the film's charm is the soft pastel hue of the colour and the delicate, sometimes diaphanous lighting. It's also very sexy without being overly erotic. Jennifer Lopez has a great body but it is a dancer's body more than that of an ingenue. I thought Lisa Ann Walter was fabulous although she works too hard at being a Bette Midler clone. But that's okay. I like Bette Midler too. I'm surprised at the lukewarm reviews of the professional "literati." But I suppose these days a movie is regarded as hopelessly ineffective if it does not brim with groping, gunfights and in your face grossness. Surprisingly, in a script refreshingly free of profanity, the "F-word" makes one appearance. It was totally needless and its presence surprised me. This is a charming, creative movie. Sure, it's not hard to guess how it will end. But getting there is a delightful way of spending an evening!