Mrs. Winterbourne

This may only be good if you're expecting it to be very terrible. I

was. The beginning wasn't promising. But as soon as Ricki Lake

gets on the train, this movie starts to get watchable, and as soon

as she moves in with the Winterbournes, it starts to get honestly

funny.

Brendan Fraser is really a great actor, isn't he? He's too good

looking to be as talented as he is. Some fairly hackneyed scenes

in this film are made compelling and realistic because Fraser's so

good.

But there are lots of genuine laugh out loud moments in this

sweet, gentle comedy. If the end is too long, too complicated and

too stupid, by that time you'll like it too much to care.

Because Brendan Fraser and Shirley Maclaine make it surprisingly bearable. Ricki Lake, God bless her, was, in a word, miscast; without the strength of Fraser and Maclaine, this movie is a two, at best a three. She's brings no life to the role, no reality. At best, she was an over-actor. At worst... well, she was a bad over-actor. A really, really bad over-actor. Still, for a movie that had so much potential (if not for the sometimes unbelievable -yet entertaining- storyline, then definitely for the two aforementioned lead actors) that was lost beneath the looming shadow that is Lake, I'd watch it again. If it were on cable TV... and if nothing else is on.

'Mrs. Winterbourne' is a highly improbable take on the Cinderella "rags to riches" story about 18 year-old Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake), who finds herself enceinte, unmarried, and homeless. Her criminal rat of a boyfriend, Steve DeCunzo (Loren Dean), wants nothing to do with her or the baby. But fate has a better future in store for Connie, and the heavily pregnant girl finds herself, almost miraculously, on a train bound for Boston from New York. There she shares a compartment with a young married couple, Hugh and Patricia Winterbourne (Susan Haskell and Brendan Fraser), who are also expecting a little bundle of joy. But one little innocent action, followed by one horrifying accident, lands Connie in the hospital, mistaken for Patricia Winterbourne. She and her baby, who survived, are both whisked off to the massive Winterbourne estate in Boston. Connie decides to carry on the charade (it's almost ironic that her her name is Connie, since she's "conning" everyone) even after coming face to face with her coddling "mother-in-law" (Shirley MacLaine) and Hugh's twin brother, the cold and unfriendly Bill Winterbourne (also Brendan Fraser).

For a fluff film like this, the cast is surprisingly good. Loren Dean is convincing enough and makes you want to jump into your TV and strangle the jerk. The Winterbourne butler, Paco (Miguel Sandoval), is a delight to watch, especially when he's drunk. But Fraser and MacLaine really make the film worthwhile to see. Why either talented actor would want to participate in a film like this is a mystery to me, but maybe it's for the best. Fraser especially plays twins very well, and his transition from part antagonist to full protagonist is believable. But I have a difficult time understanding why Ricki Lake was cast as Connie. She has a tendency to overact in many scenes, she doesn't make a convincing 18 year-old at all (she was 28 when cast), and her transition from sharp-tongued teenager to polite young socialite bride-to-be is too fast and unbelievable.

Overall, 'Mrs. Winterbourne' is a good film for a boring Friday night. This is definitely a chick flick. It's heartwarming and the cast is a joy to watch. Just don't expect anymore than that.

The opening scene of Mrs. Winterbourne is gripping. I don't really want to reveal any of the plot, because it unfolds so beautifully if you have no idea what's coming.

Barbara Stanwyck starred in the original in 1950, entitled No Man of Her Own, and while the black-and-white version is also very entertaining, I like the remake a little better. The pace is a little quicker, and it keeps your attention better. In this version, Ricki Lake, Brendan Fraser, and Shirley MacLaine are the leads, and they play off each other very well.

Mrs. Winterbourne is a romance, a thriller, a mystery, and an all-around cute flick from the 90s. While I won't tell you the premise, the movie centers on a young woman trying to fit into a higher class than she was born into. If you like those kinds of movies, you'll really like this one!

Connie (Ricki Lake) lost her mother at twelve in Hoboken, New Jersey. Because she did not get along with her father, Connie left NJ at 18 and went to NYC. Unfortunately, she immediately hooked up with a low-life named Steve and became pregnant. Steve was less than thrilled with the news and threw Connie out of the house. Although she works as a waitress for awhile, when her delivery date draws near, she finds herself broke and homeless. The next day , Connie boards a train she thinks is the subway but which turns out to be a railway to Boston. There, she is befriended by handsome, rich Hugh and his new and very pregnant wife Patricia. The train derails. Hugh and Patricia are killed. But, by a twist of fate, Connie is mistaken for Patricia and finds herself and her new baby in a private hospital, as befitting the wife of a member of the rich Winterbourne family. She meets her new mother-in-law (Shirley MacLaine) and her "husband's" twin brother, Bill (Brendan Fraser) and goes home to a posh, Boston mansion, complete with servants. Just how long will she be able to fool everyone into thinking she really is a part of the family? This is a nice little film for the proverbial romcom fan. MacLaine is wonderful as the matriarch of the wealthy family and Fraser is his usual handsome, quirky, affable self. Lake seems a bit miscast as the girl with a big secret but fulfills her role adequately. The sets, costumes, and production values are very high. Do you love improbable plots and unexpected, humorous romance? Make a date to see Mrs. W. and you will be in your element, absolutely.