Runaway Bride a delight for die-hard romantics

Since the overwhelming success of Pretty Woman in 1990, fans have been dying to see Julia Roberts and Richard Gere back on the big screen and in each other's arms. Once again, Hollywood responded with a romantic comedy even more banal and pointless than the first.

This time around, Gere plays successful USA Today columnist Ike Graham. Sticking to the usual stereotypes of writers, Graham is portrayed as a columnist who jots ideas on barroom napkins and trades wisecracks with the bartender. Desperate for a subject, Ike goes to his favorite bar to scavenge ideas from the local clientele. Without checking his source, he writes his column about Maggie Carpenter, played by-you guessed it-Julia Roberts.

Nicknaming her "the runaway bride," Ike paints a cold, heartless picture of a woman who dumped three suitors at the altar and run away in front of everyone at her wedding. The column, which Maggie reads, is filled with factual mistakes. Maggie, a smalltown hardware store owner, angrily writes a response to USA Today. Her letter results in Ike's dismissal, and he leaves New York to discover the truth about Maggie and, ultimately, to find professional vindication.

Once arriving in Hale, Maryland, Ike finds that "Maggie is not the longest running joke, but she is the fastest." The town life, which seems to focus around Maggie's dashes from the alter, is filled with trite camera shots of "daily life." The audience is not tricked into thinking that a barbershop quartet serenades passers-by in every small-town. Nor will they believe that town residents will openly discuss Maggie's personal secrets with a well-dressed stranger from the city.

Luckily, though, Gere and Roberts make up for these flaws merely by appearing on-screen. Handsome male and beautiful female grace the screen and watch the audience ignore the idiotic dialogue!

Though the movie is certainly not without flaw, I enjoyed it very much. It was nice to see a movie that was not slowed down by a complex psychological theme. Amidst recent films such as The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project, and In Dreams, it was a refreshing change to sit back and watch a movie that was cinematic cotton candy. It was almost enjoyable to make fun of the lack of plot movement and simplistic romance of Ike and Maggie.

If only life mimicked art, everyone would find love in a few short scenes. It is comic that Maggie is able to see past Ike's cold-hearted exterior and see the sensitive writer within. And Ike, suprisingly, is able to forgive the woman who had him fired. All for the sake of "true" love. Ain't Hollywood grand?

Compared to the draining experience of watching one of the aforementioned films, Runaway Bride is easily digestible. The jokes, though usually predictable, are cute and funny, and the story flows from one unbelievable scene to the next.

Hoping for a favorable ending, I was impressed that Runaway Bride was able to carry one off and still feel relatively sappy.

However, a word of caution to those of you who cannot stop the wheels of analysis from turning - this movie is not for you; Runaway Bride is fantastic escapism.

If you are going to analyze, it won't take long to come to the conclusion that behind their blinding grins, this movie is nothing but fluff. So for those of you who enjoy films filled with witty dialogue and clever plot lines, this is not the movie for you. If, however, you do appreciate your movies jam packed with more cliches than the latest Dawson's Creek then start jogging for the Runaway Bride.