Starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Jason Alexander, Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy

(7-Very Good Film)

Superficial. Entertaining. Likable.

A cold-hearted businessman (Gere) and a Hollywood hooker (Roberts) with a heart of gold meet through a chance encounter and make a deal. She will pretend to be his girlfriend for a week as he closes a multimillion-dollar buyout. The two naturally fall in love. The premise is pure Hollywood fantasy. Contrived, sure. The stars are gorgeous. It’s unnecessary to comment on how unrealistic the film is, and yet I find it important to preface my bottom line with that disclaimer. I’m a fan. Despite its superficial grit, it’s a fairy tale. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere have the chemistry that’s essential for romantic comedies to work.

-Walter Tyrone Howard-

(532)