It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Based on the notion "better late than never" this is a late review.Notes For Posterity: * what were they thinking? Marshall usually knows better but Hollywood, the land of "high concept," often falls for its own nonsense * you would have to be from another planet not to know that the original pairing in PRETTY WOMAN was one of the most successful films of all time. I think even now it is mandatory for young girls to see the film before they reach their teens. (Hey, don't smirk, if they can force you to take vaccinations, they can force you to watch a film) * even the best Hollywood Power Agent can't fight Father Time. Gere was 50 when this was filmed, Roberts some 20 years younger. Trivia question for readers of the future: was he playing YOUNGER or was she playing OLDER? Actually -- surprise! -- not a bad movie if you "get" it is about the stars working with outrageous material and yet somehow pulling it off -- sorta -- by sheer force of will. Plus, I am a big fan of Joan ("Are you breaking up with me?") Cusack. SKIP THE LAST 15 MINUTES. SERIOUSLY. HAVE I EVER LED YOU ASTRAY?Back in Hollywood's glory days they used to test the ending with a live audience before release. Had Marshall done this -- instead of spending all his time looking in the mirror and telling himself how clever he was -- he would have noticed the movie had a really solid ending about 15 minutes before the ending he used. The actual ending is horribly annoying.

Ike (Richard Gere) writes a column for a major New York City newspaper. But, he's a "last-minute" man, that is, he works better under pressure to complete each piece, barely making the paper's deadlines. One day, the inspiration pipeline is running dry and he grabs at a last minute tip to conjure up a column about a very cold-footed bride, Maggie (Julia Roberts) who has run away from the altar three times. Getting the facts seriously wrong means bye-bye Ike, as his boss and ex-wife (Rita Wilson) lets him go to avoid a lawsuit. Naturally, Ike is dismayed but, then, he is courted by another paper to do an in-depth study of Maggie, for she is about to walk down the aisle again in a matter of days. Traveling to the small city of Hale, Maryland, Ike sets up residence in the town's lovely inn and starts snooping. However, very shortly, the whole village, including Maggie, knows he's there and friends and neighbors try mightily to impede his investigation. They do this because they all have hope that Maggie's fourth nuptials will result in a marriage to the town's high school football coach, Bob (Chistopher Meloni). But, even with best friend Peggy (Joan Cusack) hovering around Maggie, could our Mags somehow be attracted to the handsome Ike, even when he's out to expose her foibles? This is a warm, funny, and touching romcom about the uncertainties in attraction, love, and marriage. How does one know for sure that their beloved is THE one? The answer here is that one must first know oneself well. The cast is a delight, with Roberts and Gere shining brightly in roles that are not necessarily predictable. The supporting troupe is also wonderful, as Cusack, Meloni, Wilson, Hector Elizondo, and others are as entertaining as they come. As for the setting, the lovely little Maryland town in the film is most beautiful and the costumes, photography, script and direction are all worthy, too. So, do not runaway from the chance to see this darling little romcom. It has some very fine lessons, love, and laughter to offer audiences of any age.

This film is a perfect example of why good romantic comedies are hard to find. Many of them turn out too much like this, not enough laughs or romance and too entirely predictable. "Runaway Bride" is not horrible and does manage to provide a few laughs here and there. However, as far as good romantic comedies go, this one did not satisfy me. For one thing, I found the plot too unbelievable and unrealistic. Though we usually don't expect romantic comedy to be entirely realistic, we want to see good reason for the two main characters to fall in love. I found the romance between Richard Gere and Julia Roberts to be too suddenly and awkward. No reason is really given in the film for why Roberts should start falling in love with a man who starts going around spying on her. I found Gere's performance just not realistic enough to enjoy. He does not play a very likable character, which gives me no reason to want the main characters to fall in love. The supporting cast is really the only reason I got any laughs out of this film at all. For example, Joan Cusack plays a funny, entertaining character, as usual, which brings a little enjoyment to the film. Nevertheless, it just did not work very well for me. Not a terrible movie, but not really worth your time either.**1/2 out of ****

Julia Roberts seems to be one of the most hated celebrities on this website. I can't really understand why. I find her to be talented and charming as well as engaging and usually likable, until I saw Runaway Bride. I thought I was going to like this one but it offered some of the most unlikable characters I have ever seen in a romantic comedy. Generally, the audience should want to cheer for the two people to get together but I couldn't care less. I don't think Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) actually deserved to be in a marriage because she was selfish, immature and seemed incapable of love. I just couldn't fathom why anyone would actually be attracted to her. She has weddings like there no big deal and she probably wasted a lot of money between the four failed ones she had. She has her fiancé invest all of his time into the relationship, trying to show her that he does indeed love her only to be left at the altar. I guess the situation was supposed to be humorous and I shouldn't have taken it so seriously but it was tough to overlook all of the garbage the film was trying sell to me.Acting wise the film was decent, which did save it a little. Julia Roberts gives an okay performance, although it's one of her worst. However, she is working with rather weak material and she's portraying a woman that is just so hard to like. Richard Gere was also decent although nothing special. The chemistry between these two was basically non-existent which made their relationship seem completely fake and unrealistic. It was hard to buy that a cynical man would fall for a woman that has no problem trampling all over a man's heart. They did have a few funny scenes together though which made the film more enjoyable. Unfortunately, the film runs for an inexplicable 116 minutes so there are a lot of dead spots.Romantic comedies shouldn't really be loathsome movies. The characters should be likable and engaging so it's easy to get behind them and the story shouldn't be too far-fetched. Unfortunately, Runaway Bride commits the worst sin for a romantic comedy by offering unlikable characters, making it basically impossible to really get into the movie despite how talented the cast may be.