El señor maravilloso

"Mr. Wonderful", predictable and obvious like most films of this genre, tells of a NYC hard hat electrician (Dillon) who tries to marry off his exwife (Sciorra) so he can put his alimony money toward his stake in a bowling alley. The film received several good reviews and works on many levels where similar films fail. "Mr. Wonderful" has an excellent cast, doesn't get too sappy, is well crafted and reasonably smart, and has a fresh and fun kind of "feel" to it. An enjoyable watch for romantics in need a break from hardcore drama.

I expected this movie to bore me within the first five minutes, but I had an afternoon to kill and there was a rerun of a home improvement show I could watch. I got a pleasant surprise and never did check into ways to repaint the kitchen. I found the plot to be original because of Dillon's machinations to get another guy the girl. He's not much of a matchmaker, but he seems to sincerely want hi ex-wife to be happy. The end was predictable, but Sciorra and Dillon are convincing as angry ex- spouses who have gone in different directions and the numerous character actors fill in the occasional boring spots, especially Dan Hedeya - I like anything he does though, so I am biased.

New York electrician Matt Dillon (as Gus DeMarco) wants to buy a bowling alley in Brooklyn, with his buddies from work; but, he doesn't have the money. To get his share of the bucks, Mr. Dillon must either sell his beloved Corvette, or marry off his alimony-collecting wife. If Dillon can find "Mr. Wonderful" for ex-wife Annabella Sciorra (as Leonora "Lee" DeMarco), he can stop payments. Making her ex-husband's job more challenging, Ms. Sciorra has hooked up with married college Professor William Hurt (as Tom). Sciorra has returned to school, and is learning Latin. Meanwhile, Dillon is dating sexy nurse Mary-Louise Parker (as Rita).

This Anthony Minghella film will be very disappointing if you're looking for anything approaching the caliber of "The English Patient" or "The Talented Mr. Ripley". As good as they are, director Minghella and his bickering leads, do simply nothing with this ordinary, predictable story.

There are a few nice moments, like a young downs syndrome couple sneaking a kiss as NYC subway light flicker. But, It's difficult to believe Sciorra suddenly dating the series of men recommended by Dillon. And, it's hard to fathom Dillon giving up a woman as desirable and intelligent as the gainfully employed Nurse Parker (a part filmmakers should have considered making an "airhead"). Second-stringers, like Parker and Con Edison worker David Barry Gray (as Pope), are more interesting to watch than the stars.

***** Mr. Wonderful (10/15/93) Anthony Minghella ~ Matt Dillon, Annabella Sciorra, Mary-Louise Parker, William Hurt

Perhaps I am a little late with my writeup of this, a favoured movie in my specially selected permanent collection. I have read the other reviews, however I cannot agree, because this is a BIG hearted not light hearted comedy drama, and there is PLENTY of chemistry between the stars Annabella Sciorra and Matt Dillon. She is just lovely to look at, beautiful and totally believable. Mary Louise Parker is also delicious, the acting is great, the storyline very likable, timeless, then and now. Mr Minghella became famous with the recent Breaking and Entering, The English Patient, The Talented Mr Ripley but I like this one very much. Others in the cast warmly supportive, include William Hurt and Dan Hedaya. James Gandolfini has a simple non violent role, Vincent D'Onofrio is absolutely wonderful in his adoring song to Ms Sciorra. His performance jumps out at you, Oh Vincent... your eyes will water. You have the price of the movie in that one scene. If you are into relationships, you will appreciate it... falling in love, being in love, two people living together, then drifting apart, you just want them to get back together again. It's a romantic fantasy for adults. Take my advice, rent it, buy it. Comment from Malcolm in Toronto 30th June 2007

Anthony Minghella's sophomore feature, and easily his least well known film. It's not too hard to see why. It seems like a pretty generic romantic comedy. I would say that's being unfair, though, as the characters are a little better written than you would expect from the genre, and there is a little more emotional connection, too. But, in the end, it opts for formula instead of trying to figure out a more believable solution. It should be mentioned that this is the only film Minghella directed in which he didn't have a hand in the screenplay. The film stars Matt Dillon and Annabella Sciorra as a divorced couple. Sciorra relies on alimony payments to live, and Dillon is unable to move forward in his current relationship with Mary Louise Parker or to invest in a bowling alley which his friends want to buy. The solution: find a suitable partner for the ex to marry, thus ending alimony. For a long time, it didn't seem like the movie was lame enough to have Dillon fall for his ex-wife, but, alas, that's what eventually happens. Personally, I was so smitten by Mary Louise Parker that I was especially disappointed. Then again, Dillon does come off as kind of a jerk, so I guess I didn't really care with whom he ended up. It's still moderately entertaining, but the straw that breaks the camel's back is the transcendently awful smooth jazz score. Apparently, the composer isn't even listed in the credits (at least IMDb doesn't list who wrote it), but this person deserves to be beaten.