Rumor Has It... (2005)

Based on a true rumor, the premise of the movie was set up oh-so perfectly, especially if you're a fan of Mike Nichols' 1967 Dustin Hoffman-Anne Bancroft movie, The Graduate (with its immortal line uttered again in this film). It's pretty creative to have that story and characters intertwined with the narrative of this movie.

In this Jennifer Aniston vehicle (is it always that the wives of more famous husbands get meatier roles when they break up?), she plays an obituary writer (another fashionable job since Jude Law became one in Closer) Sarah Huttinger, who's the fiancée of Jeff Daly (Mark Ruffalo). However, she's commitment phobic and is getting cold feet each time Jeff brings up marriage, and it doesn't help that they're attending her sister's (Mena Suvari), therefore meeting her dad (Richard Jenkins) and other relatives she can't get along with.

But rumor after rumor, and having realize that her deceased mother had gone for a fling before her own marriage, Sarah begins an investigative hunt into those (un)faithful days, and with probing for more information from her grandma Katharine (Shirley MacLaine), she discovers Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), the man whom Dustin Hoffman's Ben was modeled after. So it goes that the writer of The Graduate, Charles Webb, is a close friend of Beau, and the story is based loosely on his dalliances with Katharine. Which also means, as Sarah discovers, that the book and movie, is based on her family! But it gets better (or is it worse?) as Sarah herself falls for Beau and has a one-night stand, bringing to mind all the dirty, sick thoughts of possible incest. The audience gets teased every now and then when you attempt to piece together the possible relationships between the characters, and it gets worse as we go along, until the final revelation at the end. It's amazing too how you become glued to the story, despite its simplicity in its themes.

Which is surprisingly not romantic relationship per se, which got shoved to the sidelines, but that of commitment. It tries to examine what makes people stick to each other, and what it takes to accept, forgive, and find courage to move on. If you're bringing your date to his movie, have the correct mindset - it's not just another simple date movie, but one which sets both of you thinking. It's got some kick in it too, all thanks to references to The Graduate movie.

Lifting this movie is again the veterans of Shirley MacLaine and Richard Jenkins. MacLaine has played the grandma role to two sisters earlier this year in In Her Shoes. However, this is not a simple rehash of the role, as this one's a little more slapstick, a little more Mrs Robinson, a little more caustic in language and character, but a lot lot lesser screen time. Richard Jenkins too plays the familiar father figure who stands by his daughters, ala his dad role in North Country shown earlier. No doubt that their roles are small, but their characters, all powerful.

Kevin Costner seems to be moving to making smaller movies. I won't say that he's excellent in this movie, because it felt like it was a stroll in the park. Having him falling for and romancing a younger woman in Aniston, was similar to his role last year in The Upside of Anger. All eyes though will be on Jennifer Aniston, as her character has certain takes on relationships that cut a little close to her real life split and how she moved on.

It's a movie which you think the trailers had revealed all, but tru

Fmovies: This is the kind of movie that just pisses me off to no end because it has so much potential, but somehow it comes off as exceedingly mediocre. Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who discovers her family was the model for the novel and film The Graduate. She never saw how she fit in with her family, so she wonders if maybe the model for Benjamin, a rich man named Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), is her real father. She's wrong, but in the process of this discovery, she ends up sleeping with the man, thus continuing the tradition of her mother (deceased) and grandmother (played here by Shirley MacLaine). This in turn ruins her relationship with her loving fiancé (Mark Ruffalo). I remember seeing the trailer last fall and thinking, "This is a great idea." I laughed pretty much constantly during that preview. Unfortunately, it contains most of the film's best moments. The actual film is more of a romance (or perhaps a better term would be "chick flick") than a comedy. It gets somewhat sappy, and the whole thing lumbers on and his never very strong. This is especially annoying, as all the actors are actually very good. Aniston proves once again that she is a very good actress (if only she could land some great material). Costner gives his second excellent performance of the year (I thought his performance in The Upside of Anger was perhaps the year's best performance from an actor). He was so mediocre earlier on, it's kind of cool to see that maybe he is just now hitting his peak. Mark Ruffalo is very funny, as is Mena Suvari, who plays Aniston's younger sister. And MacLaine's role is absolutely golden. She also had a very good performance elsewhere in '05 (In Her Shoes), but she has even more to do here and she flexes her comic muscles. With all that goodness, it really pains me that it's so hard to muster any enthusiasm for this somewhat lame film!

This film bored me. Jennifer Aniston is decent but the plot is weak. No one really leaves an impression though Mark Ruffalo tries hard in a thankless part. The film draws inspiration from 'The Graduate' but doesn't come even close to the 1967 film. Kevin Costner has a little fun with his role. Shirley MacLaine plays the same role she's been playing essentially for the last few years, a crotchety version of Shirley Maclaine! Aniston's character is quite simply tiresome and her emotional journey didn't leave an impact on me. Avoid unless you are bored with nothing else to do.

Overall 4/10

Rumor Has It... fmovies. It was fun. This has been panned by many, but heck, it's not supposed to be Shakespeare. It has a great cast -- Shirley McLaine and Kevin Costner have a great scene together. I liked Jennifer Aniston -- especially in the blue dress. Mark Ruffalo was the nice guy. I laughed a lot. It wasn't all fluff, either. I thought the characters grew a little. Jennifer and her sister and father grew closer. I think if you saw the original The Graduate, this movie might be more interesting to you. There were some great shots of Pasadena and the California coast. Definitely is a chick-flick. I went with a girl friend of mine and we both enjoyed it.

About halfway into the film, a few peripheral characters begin discussing movies, classic movies--Chinatown, Casablanca, the Graduate. One asks, "why don't movies like this get made anymore?" An ironic question indeed for a film that is 8 billion light years away from even hoping to be in the company of such films and spends the entirety of its screen time ripping off (poorly) classic films. I'd rather they re-release truly original, inspired films like the ones they mar than throw them in a blender and see what hodge-podge comes out.

Jennifer Aniston deserves a nod for flailing discreetly in the wimpy script and for acting like she even wanted to stand near Kevin Cosner, who has all the sexual magnetism of a dry flounder.

The movie-- if it does anything-- does one thing, it proves Shirley McClain's got it and she can fake it even when given a bad script. I give it a 3 because I laughed at least twice, Shirley McClain gets a point for sauciness, and the final point for the studio that had the audacity to have a love connection between a girl and someone who not 5 minutes before she thought was her father--wowzer.

Skip it. Rent the graduate. Rent Casablanca. Make Hollywood give us better films.

The truth about "Rumor" - it stinks.

How could a film with such an enticing premise and talented cast go so horribly awry?

When I first heard the idea for "Rumor Has It...," I thought what an interesting concept: A newly-engaged young woman, Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston), comes to Pasadena, Calif., for her sister Annie's (Mena Suvari) wedding and realizes her family was the inspiration for Charles Webb's novel, "The Graduate," which Mike Nichols turned into a landmark film in 1967.

In addition to Aniston and Suvari, you toss in Shirley MacLaine (as the potential Mrs. Robinson), Mark Ruffalo, Richard Jenkins, Kathy Bates and, of course, Kevin Costner (as Benjamin Braddock all grown up).

So why does "Rumor Has It..." stink?

Because it just isn't funny. It's flat, tepid, utterly devoid of even the slightest hint of humor.

I've no idea whether this is because writer Ted Griffin was fired as director and Rob Reiner, who hasn't made a good film in ages, was brought in to direct. Honestly, I thought Reiner hit his nadir in 1999 with "The Story of Us." But then he followed that four years later with the execrable "Alex & Emmma." Surely, that was his nadir. Nope. Apparently, he could sink lower and he proves it with "Rumor Has It..." Beau Burroughs is the kind of role Costner should revel in. Yet, he's completely dull. There's no sparkle in Costner's performance, the glint in his eye is gone. Compare this rotten turn with his wonderful performance in "The Upside of Anger" (2005) and you'll realize how brilliant he could have been.

Aniston tries incredibly hard to salvage something out of her lead role. But - and I don't know whether this is Griffin's fault because I've no idea how much of his script wound up in the final cut - poor Sarah gets nothing funny to say and even fewer funny things to do. As far as Reiner seems to be concerned, this is a serious role. The talented Ruffalo gets a thankless role as Sarah's woeful fiancé, Jeff; and Suvari turns up in a role that is completely unnecessary. Why is Anna even in this picture other than to give Sarah a reason to come to Pasadena? MacLaine gives yet another performance we expect from her in a role that she can now play in her sleep. This time it's the boozy, yet no-nonsense, grandmother. Blink and you'll miss Bates.

The film's only believable character is Earl Huttinger, Sarah's dad, played superbly by Jenkins. There doesn't seem anything fake about Jenkins' performance - then again, there never is - and the scene between Earl and Sarah in the kitchen is the film's only highlight. You never doubt for an instant that Earl is a man who deeply loves his children.

It's a shame that "Rumor Has It..." turned into such a fiasco. It only goes to prove that even a bright concept and talented cast can't automatically save a lousy movie.