After two tepid outings as the Boy Wonder, Chris O'Donnell gets to perform
beyond his boyish good looks. Here he plays Jimmie Shannon, a perennial
bachelor who meets the woman of his dreams (Renée Zellweger) before he's
ready for matrimony. Further complications arise when his grandfather (Peter
Ustinov) passes away and leaves Jimmie $100 million provided he marries within
the next 24 hours. Also at stake is the family business and the livelihood of
all its employees. With key phrases like "you win" and "shit or get off the
pot," Jimmie botches his attempted reconciliation with Anne and is forced to
cycle through a tawdry assortment of old flames and money-hungry
brides-in-waiting.
As a romantic comedy, Gary Sinyor's update of Buster Keaton's Seven Chances
is sprightly and hits the requisite chords, and though O'Donnell is no
Keaton, he's passable as the romantic lead. It's the once infallibly cute
Zellweger who comes off as rumpled and awkward -- at times it seems as if she
were talking with a mouthful of marbles. What gives the film its punch is the
eclectic supporting cast, most pointedly Brooke Shields as a ghost from
Jimmie's dating past.
--Tom Meek
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