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Return to Me |
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Bob and Elizabeth are in love. Deeply in love.
Blissfully married, the happy couple has
carved out the perfect life in the great city of
Chicago. Great jobs. Big house. Adoring dog.
Then a fatal car accident ends all that in mere
seconds. Bob survives. Elizabeth does not.
Let’s back up for a second. A young woman
named Grace lies in a hospital bed waiting for
a heart transplant. Without it, she’ll die. So one
fateful day ends Elizabeth’s life, devastates
Bob’s and restores Grace’s, for it’s Elizabeth’s
heart that is transplanted into Grace’s body.
Flash forward just over a year. Bob is making
it the best he can without his beloved wife.
Grace is just beginning to discover her new
life. Then the two meet. You get the picture.
Rooted in offbeat Chicago-style Italian,
Irish and Polish traditions, this tender
romantic dramedy watches patiently as Bob
and Grace discover each other, new love and
a fresh lease on life. What makes Bob and
Grace’s onscreen romance unique, however,
is the film’s inclusion of Grace’s extended
family and friends (her "community"). Bob falls
in love with them right along with Grace. And
that’s the most touching thing about this
film.
Positive Elements: Grace lives
within a close circle of caring friends and
family. Her grandfather looks after her and
lovingly protects (at times, overprotects) her.
She always has someone to go to when she
needs to talk. Bob finds that same love and
affection transferred to him as he spends
more and more time with Grace. Better than
that, though, is the fact that in this film,
marriage is honored. Before Elizabeth dies,
her nuptial relationship with Bob is portrayed
in an enthusiastic and admiring light.
Spiritual Content: A pervasive
Catholic tradition threads through most of the
movie. Several characters pray (one
beseeches Saint Michael to intercede for him)
and light candles. One man jokes about
getting to see all his friends in purgatory.
Sexual Content: No sex
whatsoever. Not even implied. Bob and Grace
never consummate their relationship. It
should be noted, however, that the biggest
reason for their sexual inactivity is Grace’s
self-consciousness about the surgical scar
between her breasts, not a commitment to
abstinence. Unfortunately, several jokes about
sex slip through the cracks as do various
innuendoes. For instance, Megan advises
Grace not to shave her legs before her first
date, telling her that hairy legs are the only
sure-fire way to avoid sex.
Violent Content: Virtually none.
Panicked that Bob might discover her scar,
and thus discover that she has had a heart
transplant, Grace slaps Bob. And while the car
crash is not shown, the intensity of the
moment in conveyed through lingering shots
of the bewildered and bloodstained Bob.
Crude or Profane Language: In a
film free of so many other common caveats, it
is distressing that so much foul language was
planted in the script. The s-word pops out at
least five times, and Joe spouts numerous
profanities in front of his young children. They,
of course, parrot the words right back. Jesus’
name is abused.
Drug and Alcohol Content:
Grace’s grandfather and his three elderly
buddies sit around on numerous occasions
playing cards, drinking beer and smoking
cigars. Bob and Grace drink wine.
Summary: At times whimsical, at
times heart wrenching, at times routine,
Return to Me has two major flaws. One
falls in the content arena (profanity); the other
is about style. It seems that in an effort to
avoid accusations of pandering to the
saccharine sappiness inherent in many "date"
films, Hunt may have retreated too far. Several
would-be poignant scenes are either
minimized and glossed over, or washed out
and drab. This creates an uneven flow since
much of the rest of the movie unabashedly
grabs for heartstrings. The X-Files star
David Duchovny doesn’t help. While it’s a lot of
fun watching him interact with "the guys," his
portrayal of Bob’s passion and adoration for
Grace is somewhat second-rate. What’s
amazing is that even despite stylistic "errors,"
the movie really reaches out and connects.
You end up really caring about Bob and Grace
and their future. You grieve for Elizabeth. You
laugh. You cry. All told, Return to Me
makes much more sense as a TV movie than
it does as a big screen spectacle. Besides, all
the needless profanity may well get whittled
down when this film debuts on network
television.
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