Only You

A fine romantic comedy, well delivered by the gorgeous Kelly Preston, funny Andrew McCarthy and much-too-serious Helen Hunt. Unfortunately Helen Hunt is usually cast in a studious-serious type role, (As Good As It Gets) and her wide range of acting abilities are not shown. Still, a fine movie.

I thought the movie was pretty good. I hadn't seen it in a long time, so when I saw it on television the other day I was pleasantly surprised. True it was very predictable, but I still thought it was great. I love Andrew McCarthy and Helen Hunt.

This film is not what you would call a cinematic gem, but its not too bad either. Andrew McCarthy is a doll house maker who constantly falls in love with magazine cover girls, but is that what he is really looking for? The locations in this film are really beautiful, and McCarthy and Hunt do a good job of acting out their specified characters. Kelly Prestons gold digging bimbo is a really annoying character, but she was very suitable in the part. Its quite a pleasant 80 minute journey, and it delivers exactly what you would expect from the brief summaries given of the film. Unfortunately it is such a cliche in parts that you already know what will be said before its delivered. Also the characters were a bit dull, especially in the end scene, although that would be more the fault of the script writers than the actors. As romantic comedies go, its average at best.

Sweet Helen Hunt is better for bland Andrew McCarthy than sexy-but-bitchy and thoughtless Kelly Preston, but it takes him the entire movie to figure that out. This painfully predictable comedy tries to delay the inevitable by coming up with a series of forced scenes and situations, and it's also visually dreary, despite the potentially majestic locations. I think Hunt is the best thing in the picture. (*1/2)

This movie was just good enough for me to finish (and not turn off halfway through). On the positive side, it had all the elements that one would expect (and possibly enjoy) in any romantic comedy. In addition, Helen Hunt did a spectacular job in a quite average role with her acting basically providing the highlight of the movie. However, the film lacked good characterization and character believability. Clifford is forced to choose between the dumb blonde but beautiful Amanda, and the perfectly balanced and pleasant Clare. As it becomes overwhelmingly obvious that Amanda is just a complete flake, it becomes less believable that Clifford has truly failed to realize this fact and that he will continue to adore her without acknowledging her flaws. In addition, Amanda's character is so over the top, one wonders if she is anything more than a stereotype, even in the eyes of the author. And if so, how are we expected to believe that Clifford will time and again return to her? I was additionally disappointed with the setting - an anonymous Caribbean resort that could have been beautiful, but instead struck me as simply washed out. There are many superior romantic comedies you could watch, with the same basic plot, but better acting, settings, and characterization. I would recommend skipping this one, unless you are a huge Helen Hunt fan, an unashamed chick flick aficionado, or just simply don't care about good quality characterization.