Mr. Wonderful

This is a very pleasant romantic comedy with a good cast, lots of good performances. Look for James Gandolfini in an earlier role as a shy lover.. .The premise is very believable. Matt Dillon's character is divorced, has killer alimony payments, but would like to invest in a bowling alley with his buddies. He has a girlfriend with a child, but hasn't quite committed. He has minor quarrels with his ex-wife, and it truly looks like there is no love lost between them! The plan is to find her a husband, a Mr. Wonderful, so he won't have to pay alimony any more, but when she finds one, he discovers he wants her back, says the video jacket. Matt Dillon puts in a very convincing performance as a working man, "fix-it" kind of guy who doesn't understand his more intellectual ex-wife; Annabella Sciorra is wonderful as his ex-wife, going to college and working with plants; William Hurt puts in a great performance as her married professor and lover; and Vincent D'Onofrio is excellent as the pharmacist who remembers her from high school. But I didn't feel that the ending was convincing, unlike other great romantic comedies, like "You've Got Mail", "While You Were Sleeping", or "Sleepless in Seattle".

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

As if you can't tell what's gonna happen right from the beginning. The plot is: A divorced man named Gus (Matt Dillon) wants to marry off his ex-wife (Annabella Sciorra) so that he can stop paying alimony and buy into a deal to replenish a bowling alley. Meanwhile, his set-ups lead to many disappointments and disaster dates. It also causes him trouble with his girlfriend (Mary-Louise Parker) who eventually breaks up with him. This movie is so predictable it hurts. There are so many dead-giveaways to the ending that even I could predict it. (Tee-hee.) Besides a few almost-humorous moments, this movie is boring, lifeless, and mediocre. The performances are OK, however there is no real chemistry between the characters and we don't get to see much character development. I swear, if it weren't for that adorable Matt Dillon, I would never watch this movie.

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