Return to Me

"Return to Me" is a fine example of quality films that Hollywood can still produce for the whole family. The cast is excellent and includes top old-time actors, stars from intermediate years and newer actors. Carroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia head a quartet of old-time buddies that close O'Reilly's Italian Restaurant each night. O'Connor is Marty O'Reilly, the owner. Loggia is his friend and famous Italian chef, Angelo Pardipillo. James Belushi and Bonnie Hunt are Joe and Megan Dayton. They are family friends of Grace Briggs, played by Minnie Driver. Grace is Marty's granddaughter. She has an inherited heart problem. Across town (Chicago), David Duchovny is a builder, Bob Rueland. He's married to Dr. Elizabeth Rueland, a zoologist at the city zoo. David Grier is Charlie Johnson, a veterinarian at the zoo. He heads a list of friends of Elizabeth and Bob.

That sets the stage for the movie. The opening scenes lay this much out, with more depth. Then the drama begins. This is a tender look at family and friends. It includes deep sorrow at loss of a beloved spouse at a young age. It includes the hope of a miracle for a young life that was born with a genetic disability. It is a film about friends and deep, lasting friendships. It is about loss of parents early in life. It is about a strong, loving relationship between a young woman and her grandfather. It is a film about strong faith and belief in God. It is a story about loss and recovery, illness and healing. It is film about joy, happiness and fun, and love of life.

The whole family should enjoy this uplifting look at life, family, friendship and faith.

I love this movie! It has everything! Bonnie Hunt did a fantastic job co-writing, directing and co-starring in this film. David Duchovny is just plain hot. and Minnie Driver is as cute as ever. combine all that talent with David Allen Grier, Carol O'Connor, Robert Loggia, Joley Richardson, and Jim Belushi you have a Oscar worthy movie! I'm surprised they didn't get one. if you haven't seen it, go rent the DVD, watch it once then put directors commentary on...Bonnie Hunt is Fabulous!

When I saw the trailer for this film, I said out loud to no one in particular "this film is going to bomb." I also said that about THE MATRIX and look at what happened there. Now I am not a box office guru by any stretch but I usually have a pretty good gut about what is going to be good and what is going to really suck. In this case I was blinded by my complete and utter apathy towards David Duchovney. Let me put it to you a different way: I don't like his as a person ( from what I have read of him in interviews, he is unbelievably pre-madonna like and he is full of himself considering all he has done is X-Files ) or as an actor. PLAYING GOD was a really poor film but he came off thinking that for some reason he deserved big bucks on the big screen. But I am happy to say that even though those things may still be true about the man, Return To Me is delightful and has it's heart in the right place. Bonnie Hunt has directed a beautiful story and she has told it with class and grace. This is one of the most romantic films I have seen and even though it may seem to be a bit sad and maudlin in its premise, give it a chance and you will be hooked.

It has to be said ( and this pains me to do so ) that the reason this film works so well is because of the story and the cast. Duchovney and Driver are so wonderful and believable here that I honestly wanted to cry along with them. There is one particularly powerful scene when Duchovney comes home after his wife has died and he slumps down on the floor of his house. As it always does, the family dog looks to the door to wait for his wife to come walking in. She doesn't and with his shirt collar still stained with blood, Rob ( Duchovney ) tells him that she is not coming home, ever. He then calls the dog over to him and they seem to share a cry together. The dog lets out a small moan and then Rob cries. And this is one of the most realistic moments of pain I have ever seen in any character in any movie. You can feel his pain and at that moment I forgot I was watching an actor that I generally don't like, and I felt that I was watching someone that I knew moarn the loss of his beloved. This is powerful stuff.

Another strength of the film is the supporting cast. Bonnie Hunt has combined an ethnic melting pot of Irish and Italian characters that share a common bond. They share a pub called O'Reilley's Italian Pub. That is a delicious name all by itself. And heading the diametric scale of clashing cultures is Carol O'Connor and Robert Loggia. These are two proud old men that love their homeland but love their granddaughter and niece ( I think it is ) respectively. And that is the character played by Minnie Driver. This scenario is ripe for comedy and Hunt doesn't miss anything here.

Bonnie Hunt and James Belushi also share some funny moments together as the middle aged married couple and Belushi gets top points as he accepts humility gracefully and shows off his ample keg of a stomach for laughs. With his family consisting of three or four kids, there is very little time for him and the wife to have quality time. And again Hunt handles this with perfect elegance.

This is a wonderful story of finding true love, knowing how lucky you are to have true love and the power of friendship and family. Return To Me is a wonderful romance and even though I still don't have a great admiration for David Duchovney, I have to admit that he was perfect in this role and I could not picture anyone else playing his character. He was sensitive and believable and the movie was good because of him, not just because of him, but he sure added to the flavour.

If you are a sucker for a good romance and you want a good cry, then this is the film for you.

8.5 out of 10 I will see anything that Bonnie Hunt puts out with her in the director's chair.

I was introduced to this movie by my wife. At first, I thought "Oh no, not another romcom!". I am a huge X-FILES fan, and took some solace in the fact that David Duchovny was involved. Still, I figured I was doomed.

Well, I'm extremely happy to report that the opposite was true. I even tried to find fault with the movie, until realizing it was actually very good.

Duchovny shows a deeper, sensitive (!) side as Bob Rueland that I never would have expected. The loss of his wife (Joely Richardson) causes him to break down and withdraw from everything. Duchovney pulls this off in realistic fashion. My jaw dropped, and -egad!- I cried!

Minnie Driver's Grace Briggs, who has a physical issue that allows for the central drama / romance to unfold, is genuine and warm without being tiresome. Her grandfather and uncle (Carroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia) are a pair of gruff, older gentlemen who love each other in spite of their constant bickering.

Enter Writer, Director Bonnie Hunt and Jim Belushi as Grace's friends, and parents of a big family of their own. The interactions between them are hysterical and touching. My God! They're like a real family!

Ms. Hunt has definitely hit the top of her game here. The situations roll out naturally, even when they seem a bit impossible or somewhat supernatural. The comedy is perfectly sewn into the story, as is the tragedy. This makes the movie funny and uplifting. In other words: You may be laughing through tears.

I'm glad I was shown this film and would recommend it to anyone looking for a non-sappy, modern love story...

This is a completely unrealistic story dripping with sap. It should be too ridiculous to believe, and in some ways it is, but it's also heartwarming, funny, romantic and piercingly nostalgic. I loved it in 2000 and after 20 years I love it still. Just enjoy.