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While their real-life marriage is on the rocks, America's most beloved big-screen couple, Gwen
and Eddie (Catherine-Zeta Jones and John Cusack), must put up a sweet front lest their latest picture suffer from negative publicity. Studio Boss Dave Kingman (Stanley Tucci)
hires Lee Philips (Billy Crystal) to reunite the couple, at least for show: Eddie is out getting his head shrunk at a "wellness center" while Gwen is having a fling with a
Spanish hunk. The task of convincing the press that the superstar-couple might be headed for a reunion is left to Lee and Kiki, (Julia Roberts), Gwen's sister, publicist and
all-around slave rolled into one. So they stage a press junket for the movie's premiere at an isolated Nevada resort. Once in Nevada, Gwen and Eddie square off, and Eddie
realizes it's Kiki he's really in love with.
Hollywood divorces are a big thing in America, just as movie romances are in the Philippines,
and indeed, gossip about superstar breakups or pairings—perpetrated by tabloids and television—can boost the public image and sagging careers of the celebrities involved.
America's Sweethearts is actually a satire on Hollywood marriages, superstars' superegos and complexes, gossip-mongering fans, the corruptible press, and the overrated
power of publicity. It is not a romantic comedy as the movie's previews had tried to sell it as. It is a lampoon of Hollywood today that exposes movie-making behind the scenes
and spares no one: self-centered actors, arty directors, high-wattage producers, press agents and sensationalist media all take a merciless beating from this film. Its
strengths include a smart script and a clever direction that gives the lead stars an equal share of the spotlight—resulting in engaging entertainment for a mature,
wordly-wise audience.
Being a satire, America's Sweethearts tells it like it is, without pretending to
moralize or professing a lofty mission. Thus, the elements that pervade Tinseltown culture, such as adultery, greed, sex, crude and profane language, sexual perversions,
and physical violence are presented as laughing matter. However, as all farces go, this one has some valuable insights tucked between the lines, among them: you
can't count on fame, fortune and great looks to bring you happiness; Hollywood stars will twinkle only as brightly as press junkets will allow; love stinks for the selfish;
and, your loving publicist-friend is not above selling your soul for love of money.
(Date reviewed: October 5, 2001)
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