Rumor Has It

Review by: Doc

I lead off this tale of woe with a confession.
I wanted to like this movie. I like its lead stars and the premise, that of a woman discovering her family’s history is the basis of the movie and book “The Graduate”, held a promise of hilarity. Unfortunately, it was only a promise.


It begins with Jennifer Aniston’s character narrating the story of The Graduate and its rumored origin with some family in her hometown of Pasadena. We then segue to the “present” mid-90’s as Aniston and fiancé fly west for her flaxen-haired, empty-headed sister’s wedding. It is quickly established that Aniston’s fiancé, Mark Rufalo, is a nice guy and that she is unhappy to be engaged. She deflects his questions with a suggestion that they join the Mile-High Club in the lavatory. He is hesitant, as opposed to high-fiveing everyone in earshot, so he is also a eunuch, apparently. Their attempt ends quickly due to cramped spaces and a serious lack of enthusiasm. This held promise as a great setup. I was hoping for something on the order of Clark Griswold’s blue leg in Vegas Vacation or even an ovation of embarrassment on leaving the restroom but it was not to be. A minor chuckle ensues and the pattern of this movie is established; a good setup, promise, and failure to deliver.


Arriving at the wedding festivities in Pasadena, we quickly learn that her mother died when she was young and her father has raised his two daughters alone. Aniston views her father’s conversations, politics, and life in general with disdain. Although, considering his daughters look like Mena Suvari and Jennifer Aniston, this is the 90’s, and they aren’t drug-addled or pregnant, I would consider him an outstanding father. But I digress.


The movie’s few bright spots are heralded by the appearance of Shirley “Don’t call me Grandma” MacLaine. Her boozy matriarch is dead-on and funny when onscreen, which is not often enough. Piecing together the family secret of her Mom’s prenuptial fling from Auntie’s and Grandma’s alcohol-lubricated comments, Aniston is off to find the man she thinks may be her father. It seems she was, as they said back then, a “premature, but very healthy” baby.


We expect the movie to take off here, but it doesn’t. Aniston and Costner have no spark. She had better chemistry with both Ben Stiller and her blind ferret in Along Came Polly. Her rapid descent from thinking he is her father, to learning he can’t be, to drunkenly ending up in his bed seems more than a little sick and doesn’t ring true to her character unless the airplane bathroom scene was to establish her as “easy”.


I will spoil no further except to say that there is a wonderful moment near the end when Aniston discovers that her father is a real man and a truly loving and wonderful human being. This teatime Kodak moment is beautifully played by Richard Jenkins and, when combined with MacLaine, almost redeems the movie. Almost.


This gets two of five scalpels and a disappointed phalanx down.



Doc Hollywood

Read all reviews by Doc