Susan Granger’s review of “RETURN TO ME” (MGM release)
Tinged with traces of “Love Story,” “Ghost” and “Moonstruck,” this romantic comedy has its moments – but, unfortunately, most of them turn out to be sappy. David Duchovny doffs his “X-Files” Fox Mulder persona to play a successful Chicago architectural engineer whose wife (Joely Richardson), an ardent zoologist who works with primates, dies in an automobile accident in one of the early scenes of the picture. While he’s still blood-stained and grief-stricken, his wife’s heart is transplanted into Minnie Driver, who’s a shy, naive waitress working in her family’s Irish-Italian restaurant. Despite the bizarre circumstances, you know that these two are eventually gonna meet and fall in love. Predictability and foreshadowing weigh heavily on the script written by Bonnie Hunt and Don Lake. Perhaps a more experienced director could have quickened the pace, trimmed some scenes, and meshed the elements better – but inexperienced Bonnie Hunt helms her own material. In addition, she co-stars, as Driver’s confidante and wife of Jim Belushi, and she’s cast at least four relatives named Hunt in supporting parts. It’s like a congenial family movie under a big studio banner. Despite its lack of focus, it is amusing to watch it unfold, particularly when senior pros like Robert Loggia and Carroll O’Connor are bantering about old singers, old songs, etc., since the title song comes from a vintage Dean Martin ballad. David Duchovny and Minnie Driver are charming to watch; one just wishes they had wittier, more sophisticated material to work with. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Return to Me” is a sweet but stumbling 5. Ah, the fickle finger of fate!
