The Bachelor (1999) User Reviews

At its heart lies a refreshingly fun comedy with a disclaimer: `Please detach brains before viewing.')

[MovieAddict2016 · 6/10 · 24 February 2003]

SOME MINOR SPOILERS (REGARDING THE PLOT - NOT WHAT HAPPENS)!

"The Bachelor"

Chris O'Donnell stars with Renee Zellweger in the 1999 remake `The Bachelor,' a film about `the true meaning of love.'

Jimmie Shannon (O'Donnell) is your average 29-year-old bachelor: he doesn't want to let the good times come to a stop. But after he is pushed by friends to propose to his girlfriend Anne (Zellweger), he does so, and accidentally says some regrettable things in the proposal line (`You win!').

After a fuming Anne refuses to respond to any of Jimmie's calls in the days to come, Jimmie comes to a realization that the relationship is over. And then it happens. His grandfather passes away, leaving 100 million dollars to Jimmie. What's the catch, you ask?

He must find a wife in twenty-seven hours to get the money.

And so, the game is on, as Jimmie proposes to all his old girlfriends, including Ilana (Mariah Carey), Daphne (Jennifer Esposito), Buckley (Brooke Shields), but before all them, a re-proposal to an ever-softened Anne, who realizes before saying `Yes' that Jimmie is not ready to get married.

`The Bachelor' is a remake of `Personal,' `How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the 'New York Herald' Personal Columns,' `Meet Me at the Fountain,' and `Seven Chances,' all of which I have not seen. Therefore, I have nothing to base my review on. Also, therefore, I enjoyed this film. It may be a bit odd at times, especially the end, but overall it is just fun. It is a good escapism film where one can sit back, relax, and forget their worries.

Chris O'Donnell may not be a great actor, but he pulled off Jimmie Shannon enough to not raise any eyebrows.

I found Renee Zellweger to be quite good as Anne, providing a typical `woman moment,' when she, after Jimmie makes an awful proposal to her, grabs some food and hogs down.

James Cromwell is best as `The Priest,' who Jimmie carries around all day to perform a marriage on the spot. I love the deadpan expressions Cromwell carries throughout the whole film, until the end, where he finally speaks to Jimmie about love.

`The Bachelor' may not have the greatest character development, and the end was a bit more than odd (too much so to call it `original'); but I still enjoyed the film. At its heart lies a refreshingly fun comedy with a disclaimer: `Please detach brains before viewing.')

Dumb fun. Nothing less, nothing more.

3/5 stars –

John Ulmer

anyone interested in continuity might like to see this anyway!

[lunaseacreations · 6/10 · 23 November 2009]

This move was entertaining -- in a shallow sort of way -- and even though I knew how it would end, it was fun seeing how the characters got there. Loved the use of music and shots of mustangs. I think the turnaround -- where women are more empowered -- is important, especially for women who are younger than I am!!! It was also wonderful to see some really seasoned actors (Peter Ustinov, Ed Asner, Hal Holbrook) having fun with the silliness of the plot and that old standby, James Cromwell, was great as the priest. Now, what I really want to call your attention to is a wicked continuity glitch toward the end -- Renee Zellwegger's flowers change back and forth from peach roses to yellow lilies -- was someone asleep at the wheel in the editing room???

Not Bad but Super Annoying Sidekick

[dansview · 6/10 · 15 February 2014]

Chris O'Donnell has a certain appeal. For me, it's his facial expressions. He is the master at portraying reactions by a mild mannered "everyman" overwhelmed by immediate circumstances.

Rene Zellwegger was a mildly cute Texas girl-next-door several years before this one. In this one, set in San Francisco, her Texas accent and tomboyish outrage is not appealing.But she is supposed to be a fed-up girlfriend, so I guess she does it well.

I envied the main character. How great would it be to look like him, have a guaranteed easy job for life at a pool table manufacturer in San Francisco, owned by his own family, and then inherit a bunch of money? I've met guys like that, who cruise along in "auto-pilot" with their looks, casual demeanor, and money.

The sidekick character played by Artie Lang was so over-the-top obnoxious! I couldn't take it. That's his real life personality, so he wasn't acting. It was also excruciating to see classic actors like Ed Asner and Hal Holbrook play old fools in a romantic comedy for young people. It seemed degrading.

I loved the imagery of single men being lassoed by a cowboy rope as symbolic of being trapped by the need to marry.

I also thought the famous thousand brides scene was well done. I particularly liked the initial part of it at the church, when Chris is answering their questions about his preferences.

Brooke Shields looks old and hard. Don't expect much, although she played her role well.

I thought there was just the right amount of character development. You don't want too much in a RomCom. If you can stand Artie Lang,give this picture a viewing on a rainy day.

Dire

[Damfino1895 · 3 April 2002]

Why, oh, why do they try and remake Buster Keaton's movies, he was such a master of his craft that it is near impossible to make anything near as good as his original movies. Saying that, even if I hadn't seen 'Seven Chances' before seeing this I'd still have the same opinion, Chris O'Donnell had the potential to be a star, but, he has the inability to know a good script and this is a classic example. None of the characters are particularly endearing, Arte Lange is plain annoying and seeing Ed Asner and Hal Holbrooke was saddening. Rene Zellwegger is as usual very good, which is about the only positive thing in this sorry excuse of a movie.

Major plothole, how come all the brides turn up at the church in full, perfectly fitting bridal regalia on only a few hours notice? Are we supposed to believe that all women have a perfect wedding outfit in their wardrobe 'just in case'? And amazingly, the wedding dress found for Anne fits like a dream, an amazing coincidence or what!! At least in Keaton's version the 'brides' are in their normal clothing with just cobbled together veils to distinguish them as brides, far more convincing.

My advice, hunt down a copy of the original 'Seven Chances', there is no comparison. Note to reviewer Matt Doolittle, BusterKeaton was an amazing man, but, even he couldn't direct a film 33 years after his death.

So Many Brides, so little time

[triple8 · 5/10 · 17 April 2005]

SPOILERS THROUGH:

The Bachelor is a sweet, rather dull romantic comedy starring Rennee Zelweger and Chris O'Donnell. It's a movie that almost seems to promise hilarity yet strangely the movie isn't that funny. In fact it's not that interesting either though certainly not unwatchable. Yet for some reason, even though this movie contains two warm likable charismatic leads, the movie never picks up steam.

I think there were a few things that I did not like here, one being the playing out of a very funny premise. But the movie, even though it's not that long, gets rather irritating. The whole thing centers on O'Donnell proposing to various women and while it was fun at first, none of the women are in their scenes long enough to make a strong comedic impression and Zelwegger herself, while coming across as charming and sweet as always, is somewhat underused. Her main point seems to be moaning about her problems with Jimmy. In the meantime, the viewer can't make up their mind whether Jimmy is a nice guy or a jerk, mainly because he keeps switching back and forth and we never get to see him one aspect of his personality for to long.

The movie becomes a bit tedious as well as Jimmy races around in search of new ex girlfriends to propose to so he can get his inheritance. It should be laugh out loud funny but isn't. I was moderately interested in how it turned out but also wanted it to end. It was a given that these two would wind up together anyway.

The movie didn't seem to contain enough truly hilarious material and with a premise such as this, it should have, because this is a great situation on which to build a romantic comedy. I thought there would be unforgettable one liners and I'd be falling out of my seat....did not happen at all. However with this cast, particularly Zelwegger I'd never call it bad, just strongly lacking in some areas, particularly the comedic.

And then we come to the famous scene with the hundreds(or thousands?) of Brides chasing Jimmy. Now if any scene had the potential to be UTTERLY HILARIOUS it was that one. But it doesn't happen. The brides aren't funny, their annoying, and by that time one just wants them to stop chasing the groom so he can marry Renee Zelwegger and the movie can end. It's another scene that should be hysterical but just fell flat.

In closing, this is watchable but a bit disappointing and not very funny though the end is very romantic and big fans of Zelwegger may want to check it out, that was my main reason for doing so. My rating is 5 of 10.

Chased by a thousand wannabe brides

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 6 May 2015]

Released in 1999, "The Bachelor" is a romcom starring Chris O'Donnell as a commitment-phobic bachelor in San Francisco. When his grandfather dies he stands to inherit $100 million, but with the stipulation that he must be married by the next evening, amongst other conditions. Unfortunately, the woman he loves, Anne, is nowhere to be found (Renée Zellweger) so his best friend (Artie Lange) puts an ad in the paper, which attracts a thousand wannabe brides literally chasing the bachelor and his fortune. Marley Shelton plays Anne's sister while Edward Asner and Hal Holbrook have side roles.

The movie has a great cast and a fun vibe. O'Donnell and Zellweger are appealing protagonists, but I was bored by most of the first 45 minutes. Thankfully, the story perks up when the bachelor seeks out several past girlfriends and unconvincingly proposes. This sequence features entertaining cameos by the likes of Jennifer Esposito, Mariah Carey, Brooke Shields, Sarah Silverman, Stacy Edwards and Katharine Towne. Unfortunately, the filmmakers failed to take advantage of this wealth of feminine resources with the exception of the striking Esposito and Shields, the latter of whom is delightful as a gold-digging biyatch. The rest are underutilized. Nevertheless, Katharine Towne shines in her small role.

The most memorable sequence, of course, is the dude being chased through the streets of San Francisco by a thousand brides, but this only comprises about a dozen minutes of the movie. Those who favor romcoms might like this one better than I did. For me, it's not bad, but it's not good either, although there are some amusing moments. The plot is creative, but the script needed tweaked to flesh out its potential.

The film runs 101 minutes and was shot in San Francisco; downtown L.A. and USC; and Cook Ranch, Galisteo, New Mexico.

GRADE: C

The same unfunny joke is played over and over; flat, predictable, underdeveloped. * out of ****.

[Movie-12 · 3/10 · 2 December 1999]

THE BACHELOR (1999) *

Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Renée Zellweger, James Cromwell, Hal Holbrook, and Brooke Shields Directors: Buster Keaton and Gary Sinyor Running time: 101 minutes Rated PG-13 (for language and some sex-related dialogue)

By Blake French:

New Line Cinema appears to be on a losing streak this year with releasing flops and encountering narrow critical success with their productions. From "Drop Dead Gorgeous" to "Detroit Rock City," to "Body Shots" and now "The Bachelor." This movie is a romantic comedy that contains such a flat feeling and predictable plot, it is arguably the worst film released by this production company all year.

"The Bachelor" accommodates a story centering on undeveloped characters and the one dimensional situations they are placed into. The male romantic lead here is played Chris O'Donnell, and his name is Jimmie Shannon, who is supposedly in love with the usually dependable Renée Zellweger, where here is Anne. Jimmie and Anne are developed within a brief three minute opening scene where one meets the other at a coffee house when they exchange about ten words with each other. Their conversation is of pointless proportions, and has no clue of preparing any romantic chemistry or witty dialogue for us. Thus there is no believable quality between Anne and Jimmie, and this is just the opening sequence. How can a romance be effective if we don't buy the couple as a couple from the first scene?

We couldn't care less about the characters so far in the film, mainly because we lack knowledge concerning them. But soon afterward, Jimmie proposes to Anne at a fancy restaurant, where for some reason, she is offended at his verbal presentation. You see, the film is so hopeless for romantic tension, it uses the Anne character as a stubborn, unhappy brat in attempt to raise it. The film requires a delay in the engagement, due to an upcoming gimmick.

Now we have Anne angry at Jimmie, hence taking a trip to some place far away in the very near future--business matters. These events are present is to increase what little dramatic tension there. It also requires Jimmie to clean up his act before Anne leaves. Then one of his old relatives die, whose will leaves Jimmie over one hundred million dollars, if his current life applies toward his requirements: basically he has to be married within a day.

The conflict is introduced in the beginning of the second act, instead of at the start the picture. Not that it really matters where the problem is brought to our attention, because we don't care about the outcome of any relationship here. The rest of the film has Jimmie running from ex-girlfriend to ex-girlfriend desperately proposing to each so he can receive the cash promised. After a brief appearance by a popular pop singer, to an almost successful wed to a bitchy character played by Brooke Shields, Jimmie only finds himself deeper in love with the girl in his heart, Anne.

I will not announce if Anne and Jimmie find true love in each other. Nor will I say if Jimmie inherits the millions left to him. The only thing we know by the trailers and posters is that somehow Jimmie will be trailed by hundreds of angry bride-to-be's down the streets of his home town. This scene is highly anticipated, and energetic, but never really funny. The way it is carried out wreaks of hilarity, but lacks slapstick quality, and believe it or not, it doesn't provoke any laughs. The supporting roles are overacted and exaggerated, but the main characters are greatly underplayed. The two romantic leads are boring, shallow, witless puppets of the plot. That is most certainly the reason why I found myself enjoying the side characters. Brooke Shields contributes an effective performance with a small side character. And James Cromwell, as a kind-hearted priest, is easily the most interesting character in the movie--the only thing is, he utters but ten lines throughout the movie.

The performances from Chris O'Donnell and the Renée Zellweger come off as dreadfully dual, unimaginative and withered. O'Donnell doesn't bring any charm to his otherwise likable character, and ends up performing with conventional, utterly undertaken style. And Zellweger, who was so good in "One True Thing," has nothing to do here, beyond following the commands of the plot. What a colossal disappointment.

Another thing absent in "The Bachelor" is laughs, which are no where to be found. The way the film is portrayed is not funny at all, mainly because after the gimmick is introduced we receive more and more of the same unfunny marital. This is due to the severe lack of concern for the characters. One of the viewers I screened the production with literally fell asleep during this movie. She says that this is because it is boring. I say it is because we care so little and know so little about the characters, we feel tired and slumberous.

Conclusion Statement: Half way through "The Bachelor" I still did not know the character's names. And personally, I never did care enough to learn them.

Brought to you by New Line Cinema.

Romantic comedy that can be enjoyed by guys as well. Great jokes. Great supporting roles. Great fun and feel good flick.

[imseeg · 7/10 · 28 August 2018]

I am a guy and I really loathe most of those rom coms, but this one is different because the guy DOES NOT wanna get married, he just wants to enjoy his freedom of dating and running wild forever. The guy is the leading character in this romcom, the jokes are guy jokes, really obnoxious good jokes. Maybe that's why this rom com only scored a 5, because most of the women probably wont like this story about a guy abusing women for his own profit.

The story: a guy has to marry a woman within 24 hours or he will miss out on a will of 100 million dollars. The middle part of the story is somewhat bland, but the parts with Renee Zellweger at the beginning and the end are really funny and yeah romantic too ofcourse, because this is one funny feel good flick which ofcourse has to have a happy ending. And I must admit it is a pretty brilliant endscene! Great fun.

Guys, dont be mislead by the rom com label, this comedy is suited for blokes too, who do NOT wanna tie the knot, but wanna stay free.

or, Get Off the Pot!

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 26 October 2008]

In order to protect a $100 million inheritance, commitment-shy bachelor Chris O'Donnell (as Jimmie Shannon) learns he must marry before he reaches his impending 30th birthday. Naturally, Mr. O'Donnell proposes to the woman he loves, beautiful blonde Renée Zellweger (as Anne Arden). But, Ms. Zellweger senses O'Donnell's heart really isn't in his "(empty your intestine) or get off the pot!" proposal. Zellweger bails, with sister Marley Shelton (as Natalie). So, O'Donnell, with pal Artie Lange (as Marco) assisting, tries to locate a marriage-minded woman, who is willing to share $100 million, and produce a baby. Any takers?

Ms. Shelton is a sweet sidekick, and Brooke Shields (as Buckley) stands out among the unfortunately wasted supporting cast. Gary Sinyor's "The Bachelor" is a lesser re-make of a well-remembered Buster Keaton comedy ("Seven Chances"). No cigar and not even close.

**** The Bachelor (1999) Gary Sinyor ~ Chris O'Donnell, Renee Zellweger, Marley Shelton

A total winner for romcom fans; others will like it, too!

[inkblot11 · 7/10 · 24 August 2006]

Jimmie (Chris O'Donnell) has a girlfriend of three years named Anne (Renee Zellweger). It truly is time for him to make a decision on their future so he schedules a dinner at a posh restaurant and buys a ring. However, he bungles the proposal so badly that Anne says no way and decides to go to Greece on a work assignment. Bad timing, this is. That's because Jimmie's grandfather suddenly expires and his will requires Jimmie to be married by his next birthday in order for him to inherit an absolute boat load of money. Got that? The birthday is only a few days away. If Anne is not willing, Jimmie must find another bride or his company and all of its workers will have dismal futures, too. Out comes the old black book. Jimmie pursues his old flames and tries to convince one of them to marry him. One (Brooke Shields) even dons a wedding dress and starts the ceremony only to bolt when she hears the groom wants children. Will no one in the city of San Fran be willing to marry a potential millionaire, and a very cute one at that?This is a charmer of a movie for anyone who delights in a mixture of laughter and love. O'Donnell and Zellweger, two very beautiful people, are wonderful as the on again, off again couple. The script is total fun as, at one point, a church full of women in wedding gowns are waiting to marry Jimmie. The setting and costumes are very worthy indeed, also. This is the movie to whip out when you need a jolt of sunshine on a cloudy day. It has that wonderful quality needed to erase the cares of the world for any viewer, anywhere, anytime.

Above Average Romantic Comedy (except for Mariah)

[kranders · 5/10 · 7 November 1999]

This is an above average romantic comedy. Zellweger and O'Donnell have chemistry, but don't spend enough time together on-screen. Brooke Shields' part a wonderfully fiendish ex-girlfriend adds to the movie. However, Mariah Carey's 30 seconds on screen had nothing to do with the movie, and I pray that she never acts again.

Underrated Comedy

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 9 January 2018]

In San Francisco, Jimmie Shannon (Chris O'Donnell) is a confirmed bachelor. When he meets the independent Anne Arden (Renée Zellweger), she becomes his girlfriend along three years. Meanwhile each of his friends get married and Jimmie decides to propose Anne to marry him. They go to a fancy restaurant but the clumsy Jimmie get into trouble when he unintentionally offends her. Anne decides to travel to Greece bur she changes her idea and travels to her parents´ home with her sister Natalie Arden (Marley Shelton). Meanwhile Jimmie´s grandfather James Shannon (Peter Ustinov) dies. His friend and lawyer shows a videotape where James tells that Jimmie must be married until 6:00 PM on his 30th birthday to inherit one hundred million dollars. But his birthday is one the next day and Jimmie believes Anne is in Greece. Now his only chance is to find one ex-girlfriend that accepts to marry him. Will he be well succeeded?

"The Bachelor" is an absolutely underrated comedy, with an entertaining and delightful story based on a play. The situations Jimmie Shannon gets in with his ex are hilarious. The final scene when he is chased through the streets of San Francisco by hundreds of brides is unforgettable. Renée Zellweger is very sweet in the role of Anne Arden. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Procura-se Uma Noiva" ("A Bride Wanted")

A new route around an old plot

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 7/10 · 25 July 2006]

To be honest, I only watched this film because of the Buster Keaton connection: every mention of it I could find was dismissive to the utmost ('romantic comedy that's neither funny nor romantic'), and I had every expectation of a cringe-making experience. But to my surprise, I actually rather enjoyed it.

"The Bachelor" is a romantic comedy for the 1990s, which aims not so much at soliciting laughs from its audience but at winces of sympathy (the male portion) and eye-rollings (the female portion). Updated for its era, it becomes not the story of a man too shy to propose, but, as the title suggests, of one terrified of 'commitment' -- in "Seven Chances", Keaton took a contemporary stage farce and converted it into simply the preliminary set-up for a trademark chase sequence, while "The Bachelor" is built at heart around the situation of "the world's worst proposal" and how the hero can possibly convince his girl that his change of heart is for real. Considered on its own terms it is equally as good, and with its shifted emphasis on the central character's learning process it can scarcely be considered a remake at all. The potential brides in this version are all girlfriends Jimmie has previously dumped or split up with, and the self-proclaimed 'wild free mustang' comes to realise painfully that not every woman is dying to bring him down and jam the ring on his finger after all!

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the elements that felt forced to me were those cloned more directly from the earlier film and thrust into the plot: Jimmie's sudden revelation as heir to the family snooker empire, and consequent attack of conscience on its workers' behalf, and the Chase of the Brides. Chris O'Donnell is no physical match for Buster Keaton, and invoking the direct comparison is unwise.

The isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy caper, and to be fair I don't think it was ever intended to be. But as a modern entry in the "war of the sexes" genre it's inoffensive, undemanding and entertaining: it could easily have been toe-curlingly bad, and it's not. The plot is satisfactory, the characters' growth towards one another plausible, and the hero's predicament grotesque without descending into 'gross-out' territory. I started this film prejudiced against it; I came out in its favour. That's a pretty good endorsement.

A fun movie, but...

[DavidA-5 · 5/10 · 7 November 1999]

Before I begin my comment / review of this movie, I must tell you that Renee Zellweger is a favorite actress of mine.

With that in mind, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with "The Bachelor". I found the plot and storyline to be very transparent, as well as the script. This movie did have some fun moments though. I found Mariah Carey and Brooke Shields' cameo appearances added a nice touch. Chris O'Donnell and Renee Zellweger were alot of fun to watch.

If you're looking for a fun, light hearted movie, you will enjoy it.

Brooke Shields

[MerleB · 11 March 2001]

Hundreds of women in wedding dresses and sneakers chasing Chris O'Donnell through the streets is ridiculous, however the movie is worth seeing just for Brooke Shields' performance as Buckley. Every time her left eye started to twitch during the wedding ceremony I fell off my chair. A great comic turn.

Never Gets Off The Ground

[jhclues · 2/10 · 13 September 2000]

Anytime you come across a comedy that's well written, superbly acted and delivered, and really funny to boot, it's a treat. Unfortunately, `The Bachelor,' directed by Gary Sinyor, is not one of them. Beginning with the voice-over narration of star Chris O'Donnell, which draws an inane analogy between young, single, American males and wild mustangs, and on through the rest of the contrivances of the lame story, right to the end, this movie is a disaster. Right out of the gate, it breaks the first rule of successful comedy: Play it straight, and they will laugh. O'Donnell reads the narrative in a lilting, sing-song manner that plays down to the audience; it implies, `This is funny, you can laugh now.' Never mind that it isn't funny, that there's nothing at all in what he's saying that makes you want to laugh. The intent, I believe, with this movie, was to make a romantic comedy; what they ended up with is the most unromantic drivel you can possibly imagine. When Jimmie Shannon (O'Donnell) asks his girlfriend of three years, Anne (Renee Zellweger), to marry him, she turns him down because his proposal is so crass; the worst ever made. Ironically, it comes in one of the worst scenes possibly ever filmed. Watching it takes you out of the story and almost makes you embarrassed for the actors. The next day, Jimmie's grandfather (Peter Ustinov) dies and leaves him over one hundred million dollars, provided he is married by 6:05 p.m. (the time he was born) on his thirtieth birthday, which happens to be in `Twenty-seven hours and change.' Since the girl he loves has given him the gate (and rightfully so, because this guy is a real jerk) he spends the rest of the movie contacting old girlfriends, trying to find one who is willing to marry him. And for the audience, it makes for nothing more than one long, make that LONG, endurance test. O'Donnell brings nothing to the character of Jimmie; he is merely boring and tiresome. Talk about a less than sympathetic character. Renee Zellweger, whose career has been on a roll since `Jerry MaGuire' goes into a tailspin here. She does her best with what she has to work with, but it's not enough. That there's no chemistry between Anne and Jimmie is not her fault; O'Donnell is just so unappealing in this role, he couldn't make sparks with a flint. The talented supporting cast, which includes Hal Holbrook (O'Dell), Ed Asner (Gluckman), James Cromwell (Priest), Artie Lange (Marco) and Marley Shelton (Natalie) is wasted here, as well. Mariah Carey makes a brief, inauspicious appearance as one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, Ilana, in a scene better for all concerned had it wound up on the cutting room floor. The single high point (if you can call it that) amid all of this dreck, is the scene in which Brooke Shields turns in a notable performance as Buckley, another of Jimmie's girlfriends. She plays her with an aloofness that actually makes her endearing; and to find that in the midst of this film is a minor triumph. To put it as succinctly as possible, this is a bad movie. There's not a laugh to be had, and even the attempted slapstick and sight gags fall short, which proves that nothing can save a project that begins with a screenplay as acerbic and obtuse as this one. Personally, I refuse to walk out on even the worst movies, or to even turn off a video without sticking it out to the bitter end; it's like a code I live by. With this film, though, I must confess, I honestly came as close as I ever have to breaking my own rule. I rate this one 2/10.

Awful on every level

[alansabljakovic-39044 · 2/10 · 28 April 2020]

Thank you Sheldon for making me watch this... Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger gives her worst performance ever and it would be Chris O'Donnell's worst performance if it wasn't for Joel Schumacher's legendary Batman and Robin. I gave this half a star only for soundtrack, the rest of the movie is pretty horrible and unwatchable, I wouldn't recommend this to my worst enemy but I guess some people would (looking at you Sheldon).

I gave it a chance...

[Ferrick · 2/10 · 26 April 2000]

I didn't want to see this movie because it looked bad and Chris O. and Rene Z. are very overrated. When my wife brought it home from the video store, I groaned but decided to give it a fair chance. From the start, I knew I was right about this movie. The basic premise is interesting, albeit, not very realistic. I chuckled in a few places but had to grit my teeth and bite my tongue through the rest of it. The acting was forced, very stiff, and the lines were delivered with poor timing. I didn't believe either of the main characters because they seemed to be reading straight from the script. I won't even bother mentioning all the timeline impossibilities. Basically, this was a bummer of a movie. 'Nuff said. Now, where can I get a hold of the Buster Keaton version? That sounds good.

ehhhh.

[Rhino Rover · 6/10 · 21 November 1999]

'The Bachelor' is a light hearted comedy about the transition that a young man experiences going from bachelorhood to married life. The only difference is that this young man's transition is rather rushed as he must become married in order to qualify for an inheritance. This movie had the potential to be a lot funnier than what resulted but it was still somewhat humorous.

Jimmie Shannon (Chris O'Donnell) is a young bachelor that is presented with a rather unique opportunity to become a very wealthy man. Jimmie's cantankerous old grandfather passes away and leaves a $100 million inheritance for him but there are conditions attached to it. In order for him to recieve this money, he has to get married by the time he turns 30. The only problem is that Jimmie turns 30 in less than 24 hours from the time he hears about the inheritance. As you can probably guess, Jimmie spends the rest of the movie trying to find a woman who will marry him. Normally this probably wouldn't be a problem if the woman knew that she was marrying into a $100 million except that Jimmie finds intolerable faults with every exgirlfriend except for one girl (Renee Zellweger) that he truly loves. Only problem is that they had a fight recently and broke up before Jimmie found out about his inheritance therefore his task becomes doubly difficult.

As I mentioned, the storyline had the potential to create a very humorus movie but I found myself occassionally bored and the laughs that it did produce were good enough to generate a chuckle but nothing more. Most of this movie focussed around the pseudo relationship between O'Donnell's character and Zellweger's character but the story telling was rather disjointed. On the one side the movie tried to show the humor of the situation and the dilemma that O'Donnell's character was facing as he continually had problems proposing to different women, including Zellweger's character. On the other side, the movie tried to show the woman's side of it through the eyes of Zellweger but it almost felt like two different movies. The movie didn't have the identity of a romantic comedy (which I thought it was trying to be) nor was it out right hilarious to be a true comedy.

I found O'Donnell's performance a little over-the-top as he tried to generate the humor. At times he seemed on the verge of being uncontrolled in his performance and at other times he didn't seem to quite grasp the art of comedic acting. I've seen Zellweger in other movies and to date her acting range has been fairly narrow. She always seems to have the same emotions but I guess if the story doesn't demand very much in that department, you're not going to get that big a range in performance. I also found the writing rather poor as some of the lines just didn't seem to fit and ended up making the delivery of them awkward.

Despite the negatives that I pointed out, there were some humorous moments but in the end they were not gut-bustingly funny. Overall, if you want to see this movie, I would suggest you go see it as a matinee but it is definitely not worth full admission.

OK, so it's like this, see.....

[wisewebwoman · 1/10 · 3 December 2004]

I got this DVD for free, with a chicken dinner, no less. The chicken dinner was not very good but it was way better than this movie. Actually, I don't think I've ever rated a movie a 1 before, but that's only because IMDb does not allow a minus or a zero. The cast, I can't believe they would even come within a mile of this horrendous bomb, but they did, many of them, all broke, I suppose. Ed Asner, Hal Holbrook (who has one of the most appalling jobs - a father offering his 15 year old daughter as a bride to the most absolutely appalling cad), James Cromwell, Renee Zelweger and on and on. There is no script, no development of character (apart from a tiny slice of the James Cromwell bit)so many clichés it should be shown as how NOT to make a movie. I did not see it all the way to the end, my gag meter had maxed out and I needed to take a breath of fresh air. Shame on all concerned. 1 out of 10 for those 1000 unfortunate bit player brides running through San Francisco.

very cute movie, great remake of the old classic

[jane_movies · 7/10 · 6 November 1999]

The Bachelor is very cute, Chris O'Donnell is very good in it. I've seen the old silent this is a remake of, "Seven Chances" starring Buster Keaton, it is very funny, and one of Buster's best, i never thought anyone would be interested in remaking it, but I'm glad they did. Renee Zellweger is also good in it, she makes The Bachelor worth watching. She is very pretty and believable as O'Donnell's girlfriend. The movie gets a little slow sometimes, but recovers afterward. there is an all star cast, i couldn't believe there were so many stars in it. All of O'Donnell's old girlfriends are really funny (the cop, opera singer, student, cook, stock broker, Buckley and Zoey.) So overall The Bachelor was an almost perfect movie.

cringe-worthy

[bika · 1/10 · 27 July 2001]

Painfully bad. What more can I say? But since I need four lines of comments for this to be accepted - the jokes fall flat, the supporting actors are disinterested, the plot is unbelievable, and Zellweger is underutilized.

A gem from the '90s

[HotToastyRag · 10/10 · 18 December 2018]

If anyone's looking for a perfect slice of 1990s nostalgia, The Bachelor is it, which is ironic because it's a remake of a 1925 Buster Keaton silent film. I guess one could make the argument that nothing's changed in seventy years. Things have definitely changed in the past twenty years, though, because this story could never be remade for a 2019 audience. Feminists beware, you will absolutely hate this movie unless you're able to put aside your political and social issues and have a good time.

Chris O'Donnell stars as the title character, a term that has undergone such changes throughout the centuries, and is one of many reasons why this movie is un-remakeable. In 1995, a bachelor was not a playboy who had a different woman every night, but instead a man who enjoyed his unmarried life the way it is and didn't want to get tied down. Chris has a steady girlfriend, a young and adorable Renée Zellweger, but he doesn't want to take the next step. The opening sequence of this movie is hilarious, as the film shows wild horses running on the open range, avoiding a lasso. Chris compares his bachelorhood to wild mustangs. As his friends in the film bite the bullet and get married, they each get caught and lassoed. Chris just doesn't want it! However, when Chris's grandfather dies and leaves him a fortune on the condition that he marries before his thirtieth birthday, he's in quite a rush.

This is one of my favorite '90s comedies, and for me, it never gets old, unfunny, or offensive. Several household phrases in my family found their origins from this movie, and while I could easily quote you a sample scene to demonstrate the humor, it's impossible to just choose one! From Chris's "Could you please leave?" to Renée's "He botched it!" to Hal Holbrook's attempt to pawn off his underaged granddaughter, to Peter Ustinov's inappropriate blurts with a megaphone, everyone in the supporting cast works with humor and chemistry to make this a classic. Chris is so adorable and has great comic timing; who else could follow Buster Keaton's classic scene of running away from hundreds of brides and make his own version immortal? Rent this movie, and get ready to laugh yourself silly.

The film was cute, but should have been edited mor...

[walter-schminky · 6/10 · 29 March 2004]

The film was cute, but should have been edited more (i.e. about 20 minutes too long for the content). It looks as though the producer/editor did not have enough time to thoroughly develop the plot, so some aspects of the film drag on. It had a lot of potential which was only partially developed. The film is not worth 10 lines of comment, so I will fill up space with useless chatter, kinda like the film did. Rene and the girl who played her room mate were very good. The scenes about the room mate's family did not enhance the movie and seemed irrelevant to the plot. Again, the main problem stems from the film's "lack of effort" to fulfill a decent potential. It was funny, but was more like an hour TV show than a full length movie.

How much did this movie suck? A lot.

[Styler the Bad · 3/10 · 12 November 1999]

This movie sucked. Don't go see it. Don't go rent it. You might like it if you like horses, but if you don't like horses, don't watch this film. Bad characters, bad plot, bad acting, bad shots of horses. Bad.