America's Sweethearts (2001) User Reviews

A good Fun Movie

[mjw2305 · 7/10 · 23 December 2006]

Gwen (Catherine Zeta Jones) and Eddie (John Cusack) are America's favourite sweetheart couple, but since breaking up Eddie has had a breakdown and Gwen's career is floundering. Their latest movie is shortly due for release and their press agent Lee (Billy Crystal) with the help of Gwen's sister Kiki (Julie Roberts) have to get them back together and promote the movie.

Written and produced by Billy Crystal 'America's Sweethearts' is a good giggle, and has some fine performances from Cusack, Crystal, Roberts and Jones (Although Catherine Zeta Jones's performance as a press hungry b*tch, is maybe a little too believable). For me though the ending makes the movie, its not entirely what your expecting and Christopher Walken, helps to bring the closing scenes to life, with his patented brand of acting genius.

Worth a watch 7/10

Translates to the small screen well

[joshuastephen4 · 7/10 · 12 April 2002]

When I saw this movie in the theater, I left a bit disappointed, which is hard to say because I love Julia Roberts. For some reason, it just did not click. However, when it came out on video, I watched it again and I laughed so hard I couldn't believe it was the same movie. It just worked so much better at home on the small screen. So my advice to anyone who saw it in the theater and was not struck by it, try it again as a rental and you may be surprised. And of course, if you haven't seen it, I do recommend it, for it is a fun movie and is actually quite entertaining, especially if you like the stars, which most people do.

Funny, likable, lightweight comedy

[mattymatt4ever · 7/10 · 26 December 2001]

This is not a biting Hollywood satire, and I'm sure there were some missed opportunities to poke fun at the biz. But as long as that's not what you're expecting, you should have lots of fun.

I'm an avid Billy Crystal fan, and though he's not the star of the film, I was really looking forward to this movie--being that he also co-wrote the script. There are some trademark zingers you'd anticipate from the Oscar's favorite MC: "Sixty pounds? That's a Backstreet Boy."

The cast is superb. Hank Azaria, like always, steals the show. He is absolutely hilarious as Catherine Zeta-Jones' new Spanish lover. There is a great scene near the end where he gets outraged at a rumor of his inadequate "size." Just like his role as the flamboyant butler in "The Birdcage" he brings out tons of laughs, taking on a phony accent. He really is a man of extraordinary talent. John Cusack shows us his more...goofy side. I've always enjoyed him in past movies, but he usually plays the straight man. This was something different. Well, I guess you can say he plays the straight man, but he stumbles into all sorts of slapstick situations that causes him to overreact in comic fashions. And he's great at it! Julia Roberts is...well...Julia Roberts. I have nothing against Julia, but I don't patronize her in the same way others do. I don't think she's the most beautiful woman and I don't think she's the most brilliant actress. But I'm sure many were looking forward to this movie because of Julia, and if you're one of those people, you won't be disappointed. Catherine Zeta-Jones is extremely beautiful, but she is so great as the whiny, bitchy ex-wife of Cusack/spoiled actress that I wanted to stab her every moment she was on screen. Alan Arkin is funny as the pretentious, preposterous spiritual healer. There is a great deleted scene with him and Cusack over the phone, while Arkin rides the streets of Vegas in a pink convertible. Those renting the DVD--don't skip the deleted scenes! And last but not least, Christopher Walken (Da Man!) has a brief but memorable appearance as reclusive director Hal Wideman.

Don't expect any surprises. The story's as predictable as can be. The whole movie is superficial fluff. But it's enjoyable superficial fluff. If you just want to kick back, have some good laughs, without having to kill any brain cells--curl up on the couch with your man or woman and watch "America's Sweethearts."

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Effective Hollywood satire-romance

[long-ford · 23 February 2009]

This film is really two films in one. There's a sharp black comedy on Hollywood, as well as a pleasant romance. While both parts work, I preferred the comedy over the romance. Billy Crystal has some good one-liners and John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Christopher Walken all seem to be having fun as they satirize Hollywood. Even Larry King joins in the fun. However Cusack seems visibly disinterested in his romantic role opposite Julia Roberts. Roberts can perform this role in her sleep. The film is watchable though it would have been even better as a stand alone satire.

Overall 7/10

Good Romantic Comedy Movie with a great cast

[thatmovieguy91 · 6/10 · 27 January 2012]

SO I just finished watching this movie a couple of days ago. The reason I watched it because Julia Roberts was in it and shes one of my favorite actresses. Here is a short summary of whats it about, Well it starts with a famous Hollywood couple that is going through a divorce, and a movie director who lost his job and has the chance to get it back if he can bring John Cusack's character and Zeta Jones character back to together. Julia Roberts' character is Zeta Jones sister in the movie and happens to to get with John Cusack's character because she always had a crush on him and John Cusack has always liked her.

Well the movie was good, it wasn't great. Yes most people will watch it because of the cast and not like it. Christopher Walken steals the show as always in the beginning and end, with short scenes. There are some really funny scenes, but thats about it. The plot of the movie is okay nothing excitint.

I give it 6 out of 10 stars. I would at least give it a chance if your fan of any of the actors in this film, or if you like that type of genre.

Ultra light summer movie

[tprofumo · 2/10 · 21 July 2001]

And I mean ultra light. This film features four giant stars, about three and a half jokes and nothing beyond that.

There really isn't too much to say about this stinker, other than that although it has a couple of really good bits, most of it isn't very funny. Nor does it work at all as a romance. How about as a romantic comedy? Not on your life. Most of the dialogue is way too flat to be sophisticated, much less amusing.

What's really ashame is the premise is not bad at all. This movie could have been so much more, especially with all the recent focus on some of the bogus ways in which films are promoted, complete with phony quotes from critics. The film uncovers the un-mined territory of the press junket -- those all expense paid trips for journalists who almost always write nice reviews. But instead of exploring what should have been a motherlode of jokes, it devotes all of about three minutes to this territory and moves on in pursuit of the film's lame romance.

The same with Catherine Zeta-Jones' character -- the whinny, self centered movie star. Zeta-Jones does a good job with what she's given, but she's given practically nothing. It's all homogenized junk that looks very pale in comparison with some of the things we've heard about stars over the years.

In the end, it is hard to understand what made Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, John Cusack and Billy Crystal sign aboard this doomed ship, which sinks like a rerun of "The Love Boat." In fact, as the old joke goes, they should have forgotten the script and filmed the deal. It would probably make a better story. So, go ahead and tell us, filmmakers, what do you have on these stars that got them to appear in this?

An OK romcom with moments of sheer brilliance

[rooprect · 7/10 · 20 November 2012]

This is a weird film, almost as if it was written by 2 different people with very different approaches to comedy. At times it's fast paced, surreal & hilarious. At other times it's more situational, down-to-earth and amusing but not really laugh-out-loud funny. "America's Sweethearts" did indeed have 2 writers (Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan), but I'm only guessing that that's the reason. Regardless, it's a good film worth watching.

"America's Sweethearts" begins with the fast-paced-hilarious, satirical approach which had me choking in laughter. The opening is reminiscent of the classic "Hollywood Shuffle" with its merciless mockery of the film industry. But it quickly simmers down to a more laid-back, easygoing romcom with a storyline. Periodically it hits us with some of the former hilarity but only in spurts.

John Cusack delivers a great performance as the borderline psychotic yet lovable jilted lover. Catherine Zeta-Jones is his counterpart, perhaps not as mental but every bit as memorable. Billy Crystal plays his usual wisecracking self, no need to describe that any further. Julia Roberts is the voice of reason, or the "straight man" role.

What ensues is somewhat predictable but packs enough surprises to keep you awake. Hank Azaria's portrayal of a Spanish gigolo is hilarious (if not slightly offensive to Spanish gigolos?) and that definitely keeps the momentum going. And then Christopher Walken makes a brief appearance or two, bringing down the house.

This is a fun movie for everyone, but in particular, entertainment industry folks and film geeks will get a real kick out of certain parts. Like "Hollywood Shuffle" or the more recent lashing of Hollywood "For Your Consideration", there are some funny inside jokes for movie buffs. But don't worry, if you watch it as a straightforward romcom it still delivers.

Love Chick Flicks, but this a candidate for Worst of All Time!

[Darccity · 1/10 · 26 July 2001]

I like every actor in this movie, but not in this film, an endless series of crotch and penis jokes (oops, the film is dragging, so let's insert another one to perk it up). The audience of mostly women, young and old, was completely silent throughout the movie. MY wife and I have seen every chick flick this year, even the ones that were panned by critics, and we liked them all. But this movie is as bad as it gets. How bad? Worse than the Avengers! Worse than Duets. Worse than Heavens Gate. (Actually, I'm such a softy, I enjoyed parts of all three of those bombs.) Worse than any recent Diane Keaton, Steve Martin, or Alan Alda movie. Worse than even Adam Sandler at his worst. The actors looked totally embarrassed speaking their lines, as if their careers were being placed in immediate jeopardy. The only funny part of the movie was unintentional: when Chris Walken tells the press that the script was worthless, so he threw it out and substituted hidden camera footage. Wish they could have done that here. Watching any of these talented people in candid dressing room footage would have been funnier and more romantic.

A good, witty comedy

[Eleena-Thea · 6/10 · 15 December 2006]

I know this movie is not incredibly popular in the realm of IMDb voters, but I have to say, it's a really great comedy. I have always enjoyed it very much for it's wit and for the critical undertone it takes about how relationships function is Hollywood )something that is easily capitalized upon with today's celebrities). Really, the movie mocks the holllywood genre in general, which I find to be incredibly amusing! The performances are also very good. Billy Crystal, John Cuzsack, Julia Roberts, and Catherine Zeta Jones all play their roles in a very believable way. The dialogue is witty and engaging. I highly recommend it for a good laugh and a decent romantic comedy!

Forgotten it all, within a week of watching it.

[Gubby-Allen · 2/10 · 11 December 2001]

Not much to say about this one. A plot you can peg in the first 10 minutes, all the laughs of a road traffic accident and equally annoying Julia Roberts as a girl who used to be fat & ugly (ok, whatever you say director) and an ensemblance of unconvincing characters which at no point in the film do you ever care about or give a toss what happens to them.

I would happily have walked out of this film, but unfortunately I was on an aeroplane at the time. If anyones happens to also see this on a plane, I'd recommend it, but only as a method of sending you to sleep.

3/10 (but closer to 2 & a half - I'm in a good mood too)

An entertaining look behind the scenes of the movie star romances.

[Anonymous_Maxine · 8/10 · 4 August 2001]

Normally, who is married to/engaged to/dating who in the movie world is something that I couldn't possibly care less about, and I still don't care, but America's Sweethearts manages to make that very subject amusing and entertaining. John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones play Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison, two movie stars who have been tremendously successful working together and who have worked their way into the heart of the American public. The conflict comes from their highly publicized breakup, which has resulted in two consecutive box office failures for Gwen and some serious psychological problems for Eddie.

Stanley Tucci takes on a small but very effective role as Dave Kingman, the short tempered studio executive, furious with Christopher Walken's much more entertaining Hal Weidmann, the introverted filmmaker who sent Kingman the first print of his film (after charging $86 million of the studio's money), which consisted of nothing but titles and the hilarious message, `We could also do these in blue.' Kingman throws a predictable but very funny tantrum. We spend the rest of the film wondering why Weidmann is so cocky toward Kingman and so close-mouthed about the film, but we are rewarded in the final act.

Julia Roberts comes back in an ironic role when compared to her recent (and far superior) role in Notting Hill, in which she was America's Sweetheart who had fallen in love with a regular guy. Here, she is the constantly unnoticed sister of Gwen Harrison, her big movie star sister. Both women are perfectly cast as the famous movie star and the famous movie star's sister, but this is more a testament to their abilities as actors than it is to the ingenuity of the casting director. The acting was just excellent. Hank Azaria plays the part of Hector (`This is bull-chit!'), the over-the-top Spanish guy with the hilarious lisp that Gwen has been seeing ever since her rough break up with Eddie. Hector is an amusing character, but it is obvious from the first scene where we see him (in which he insists that he and Gwen will `go to the ‘hunket' together.') that he is an expendable character. He's funny, but he still badly mangled the Spanish accent as well as the lisp, coming off as amusing but impossible to take seriously.

The entire romantic subplot of the film was predictable from the very beginning, if only because it was given away in its entirety in the theatrical trailer. If you have ever heard of this movie before watching it, then you've already seen the emotional scene where Kiki (Roberts) tells Eddie that that woman that he saw standing by the spa that he had to spend the rest of his life with was her, and not her sister Gwen. From that perspective, America's Sweethearts is one of those movies where if you've seen the preview, you've seen the movie (take Pleasantville as another example).

Christopher Walken provides an excellent source of comic relief as well as one of the only really interesting characters in the film. He is the nutty filmmaker (indeed, the best films almost unwaveringly come from the people who are a little ‘off') who edits his films in the Unabomber's cabin, which he had moved onto his property, and who indeed created a truly memorable film, of which we unfortunately are only able to see a small portion. `The Blair Bitch Project,' as the press later calls it, is a kind of film that would be really interesting. The tabloids would have a field day.

There are a lot of sight gags and low brow humor in America's Sweethearts, and it is reported to bear a striking resemblance to Singin' In The Rain (although remains far inferior to that classic musical comedy), but it manages to keep the audience entertained if not hanging on every word. True film fanatics are sure to pick it apart for nearly feeding off of classic films and for following such a clear-cut formula, but there is definitely something to be enjoyed here.

An insult to my intelligence

[adiezel · 1/10 · 12 August 2001]

America's Sweethearts sells itself on its cast, featuring American sweethearts like Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Billy Crystal and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Sounds like a formula for a good movie, right? Take real life movie stars that are loved by America and put them in a movie about hollywood-types and celebrities and call the movie 'America's Sweethearts.' Great idea, sure, until you go see the movie and realize that it is one of the most unoriginal, uninspired, idiotic scripts ever written. The humor is at best predictable and cliche, at worst deliberate and insulting to my intelligence. Even the funniest character, Christopher Walken's strange miser director, is a ball of over-used cliches about artsy film directors. I could swallow predictability and lame jokes if for one second I cared about one single freakin' character in the movie, but that would be too much to ask. Julia Roberts' character used to be fat, but she's already gone through her transformation before the beginning of the movie, so there's no pain with which to sympathize. John Cusack's character is supposed to be connecting to himself and you're supposed to be happy for him, but in flashbacks it seems like he was always pretty OK. There is other stuff that really irritated me in this movie - one example is Catherine Zeta-Jones' "Spaniard" boyfriend, who is the dumbest melting pot of misplaced stereotypes of Puerto Ricans I've seen on screen in awhile and would've offended me if I thought for the one second that the writer (Billy Crystal...wasn't he funny when I was a little kid?) actually cared the slightest bit about his movie and his characters, but I know (pray) that couldn't be true.

Classic, well, almost!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 20 August 2010]

Joe Roth makes memorable cinema in 'America's Sweethearts'. I've seen this zany flick a number of times. I remember watching it during it's release way back in 2001, and kept in touch whenever I got a hang on it on television. Honestly, this is one of the better films I've seen from the early 2000's.

The once golden Hollywood duo formerly known as "America's Sweethearts" has now split. This is the basic premise, but, the film actually belongs to the characters of Julia Roberts and Billy Crystal, who are basically, the catalyst's in the screenplay. It has it's share of hilarious moments, especially the sequences featuring Billy Crystal, which stand out. About a 102-Minutes long, this truly is a near classic for Me!

Roth's direction is perfect. Billy Crystal's screenplay is witty and has himself using the key. Phedon Papamichael Jr.'s Cinematography is quite good. Music by James Newton Howard is top-notch.

Performance-Wise: Billy Crystal is selfishly convincing. The writer awards, the actor in him, the best role. Julia Roberts is highly competent. Plus, she looks ravishing! John Cusack is likable. Catherine Zeta-Jones is over-the-top. Hank Azaria gets into the skin of the character, and comes out like a proper prop. Stanley Tucci is incredible. Christopher Walken is wasted, but even then, he plays his part with sincerity. Seth Green brings the house down, he is wonderful. Scot Zeller is passable.

On the whole, This Rom-Com works big time! A Genuine Thumbs Up!

Fun movie.

[MovieAddict2016 · 19 August 2003]

A fun movie that was much better than I thought it would be. I expected a horrible movie and I got a fun time-filler for ninety minutes. Great cast, entertaining movie. Billy Crystal and John Cusack stole the show from the leading ladies, but it's still a lot of fun to watch.

3/5 stars -

John Ulmer

Romance in Sweethearts Wins Out...

[jon.h.ochiai · 7/10 · 6 August 2001]

Joe Roth's "America's Sweethearts" starts off as an edgy dark comedy about the movie promotion business, then veers off into a conventional romantic comedy which better serves the talents of John Cusack, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. This tangential storyline was written by Billy Crystal (also one the stars) and Lee Philips. The premise is very promising. America's Movie Sweethearts, Eddie Thomas (Cusack) and Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones), are no longer-- they are getting a divorce.

In fact Gwen has a restraining order on Eddie following their dramatic break-up. Gwen is shacked up with a Spaniard dancer, Hector (an embarrassing loser role played by Hank Azaria). Eddie now resides in a spiritual retreat following his meltdown. However, Eddie and Gwen made one last movie with eccentric genius, reclusive director Hal Weidmann (perfectly played by Christopher Walken). No one has seen the film which looks to be a rip-off of Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Time Cop". Weidmann professes this unseen movie is his greatest work. Studio Exec., Dave Kingman (Stanley Tucci), convinces promotions expert, Lee Philips (Crystal) whom he fired, to stay on and orchestrate the press junket for the movie. To bring the estranged Eddie and Gwen together, Lee enlists the aid of Kiki Harrison (Roberts) who is not only Gwen's "doormat" sister, but also her personal assistant. We soon learn that big hearted Kiki has always loved Eddie.

The movie industry inside jokes and details surrounding press junkets are great in the beginning of the movie. Though this wastes time in what is predictably a romance. Tucci's ruthless and humorless exec. is way too dark a character for this movie. Hector (Azaria) is a total waste of time here. For the amount of talent involved in this project it is amazing how much useless overhead is in the movie. Don't get me wrong here entirely-- I did enjoy the movie. What saves the movie are the wonderful talents of John Cusack and his natural chemistry with Julia Roberts. Zeta-Jones is believable as the self-absorbed ice bitch, Gwen-- let's hope that she does not make a habit of these kinds of roles. Julia Roberts is not stretching here as the good hearted, smart, and plain sister of movie star, Gwen. Though Roberts unquestionably has the movie star quality-- she enchants on screen. Cusack is the quirky romantic leading man of the Milennium, and plays Eddie with a bewilderment and smarts. You always get a sense of what's swirling in Cusack's Eddie's head. He is aware of his emotional instability, while promoting a movie he has never seen, with a woman he is no longer with. And the woman of his life is right in front of his face-- Kiki. Duh! Cusack is totally charming in his journey from cluelessness. Ultimately, he and Roberts make Sweethearts worth watching-- which is saying quite a lot.

What A Waste of Time

[ledzep380 · 2/10 · 16 January 2002]

I have seen a lot of bad movies with big actors in it. But this movie was terrible. I have yet to see why people thought it was funny. The idea behind it is stupid. Plus all the things that are supposed to be funny are just dumb. Why anyone would want to watch this more than once just baffles me!

A total waste of time!

[Margaret 9 · 1/10 · 14 September 2002]

As a fan of Julia Roberts, John Cusak, and Catherine Zeta Jones, I found this movie a total bore! Did this movie ever make it to theaters? It looks like something that would go straight to video. No wonder I had never heard of it before. A joke!

One of my all time favorites

[canbrooke · 10/10 · 27 June 2021]

This movie had an awesome cast, such a fun plot, a bunch of one liners that I will always quote ever chance I get.... I wish there were a full version of the movie they "made" within this movie, "Time Over Time." The bit we get to see is so amazing, I really wish they'd given us a full version of it. I'd pay to see that, as well as some deleted scenes and extras! I feel like, for some reason, this movie has never been talked about much or given nearly the amount of attention that it truly deserves. Absolutely every single character is so perfectly cast... I feel like it gives us a little bit of insight to what being a film start might actually be like.

Witty Satire

[JamesHitchcock · 7/10 · 16 December 2004]

The 'Sweethearts' of the title are Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison, movie stars who are married to one another. They have starred together in a series of sentimental but highly popular romantic comedies which have made them firm favourites with the public. Unfortunately, their marriage has broken down and they have become estranged from one another, although they have not yet filed for divorce. Their last film together before their break-up was directed by a brilliant but eccentric and reclusive auteur based upon the late Stanley Kubrick (which might be a clue as to which famous Hollywood couple served as the model for Gwen and Eddie).

News of their marital discord has adversely affected Nicole and Tom's – sorry, Gwen and Eddie's- box-office ratings. A press preview of the new film is arranged at a hotel in the Nevada desert, which both stars will be attending, and Lee Phillips, a studio publicist, is given the task of either effecting a reconciliation between the warring spouses, or, failing that, of making the media and the public believe that they are back together again. Lee's boss Dave Kingman believes that a happily married couple is better for business than an estranged one. Unfortunately, Gwen has found a new boyfriend, a Spanish actor named Hector, and a further complication arises in the shape of a romantic attachment between Eddie and Gwen's sister Kiki.

Hollywood satire is not always particularly biting, especially when the subject of that satire is Hollywood itself, and the tone of 'America's Sweethearts' is generally good-natured rather than caustic. Despite this, I found it very enjoyable and certainly would not agree with all the negative comments on this board. I liked John Cusack's Eddie, insecure and neurotic but surprisingly likable for a man with a conviction for attempted homicide on his record, and loved Catherine Zeta-Jones as the beautiful but bitchy, self-obsessed and selfish Gwen. Julia Roberts must be a great sport to allow herself to be cast as Gwen's less attractive sister. (My apologies to those who think that the words 'Julia Roberts' and 'less attractive' do not belong together in the same sentence). The best of the satire, however, was directed at the movie industry itself, with amusing performances from Billy Crystal as Phillips, Stanley Tucci as Kingman (the sort of amoral studio executive who would sell his soul to Beelzebub and his grandmother into slavery in exchange for a successful film) and Christopher Walken as Weidmann, who can make pretentiousness into an art-form in itself. (Very unfair to 'auteur' directors, but very funny nevertheless). I also liked Alan Arkin's 'Wellness Guide', forever spouting banal New Age platitudes. The one performance I did not like was from Hank Azaria as Hector, a remorselessly exaggerated caricature with a bizarre and almost incomprehensible accent. (Memo to the Editors of the Official Hollywood Scriptwriter's Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes: Spaniards do not normally speak English with a lisp, but are quite capable of distinguishing between 's' and 'th' sounds). There were also occasional scenes which struck me as being less than funny (especially the one where Eddie was caught on videotape supposedly masturbating in public), but my overall impression was of a witty piece of satirical film-making. 7/10

Absolutely Pitiful

[Paul W.-2 · 1/10 · 23 July 2001]

I don't understand how anyone could call this piece of tripe "the movie of the year."

I usually avoid Julia Roberts movies like the plague, but my wife dragged me along to this one. I was hopeful that John Cusack's presence would make for something of a good experience, but there's only so much that one poor man can do. I hope he redeems himself soon! I'm VERY disappointed in Billy Crystal.

Lisa Schwarzbaum at Entertainment Weekly has become my hero! She has the guts to tell the truth about the piffle Hollywood insists on putting out, hoping that media hype will cover for a lousy product. She made the right call on "Pay It Forward" and she makes the right call here, though I would have graded it a D- (instead of the C- she gave)

Billy Crystal was good, Julia Roberts usually was ...

[vchimpanzee · 1 June 2004]

... but there were parts of this movie I didn't like. I liked it when it was funny, but a lot of the relationship stuff didn't appeal to me. The opening of the new film by Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison was great. Well, the reaction to it, anyway. I liked the attempts by Crystal's character to get these two bickering movie stars together, and the various problems that made that more difficult. I'm glad this was sanitized for network TV.

Julia Roberts did a good job as a plus-size woman, though her transformation was nothing short of a miracle, considering the time frame. For a change, she wasn't a beauty--at least not at first and certainly not in flashbacks to her chubby days. I liked most of her performance, but there were times when it's a good thing it was her, or the movie would have been in trouble.

I wish I had known it was Hank Azaria playing Gwen's conceited and bumbling boyfriend. He was pretty good.

Regardless of its faults, the surprise ending redeemed this movie. The two movie stars gave such laughably terrible performances in clips of their past work, and their next film promised more of the same ... but I won't say what the result was. Just know that it was not what one might expect.

Gets by on the bankability of its cast

[HuntinPeck80 · 7/10 · 9 July 2023]

That is a word, right? Bankability.

John Cusack, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal. Four bona fide stars, all crossing over the peak of their stardom and descending into decadence. That's what you see in America's Sweethearts.

Cusack and CZJ play movie stars who are a hit together but whose relationship has shattered off screen. With an eccentric director refusing to show their latest movie until the press junket, studio head Whatshisname (Stanley Tucci) begs PR wizard (Billy Crystal) to conjure a smokescreen and distract the assembled national press from the absence of said film. How? By giving out lots of gossip on the state of the former lovers' relationship. Are they getting back together? Will CSJ's new Castilian Casanova (Hank Azaria) and Cusack's letdown leading man cross swords? And who is the true love waiting in the wings?

To be honest, 7/10 is pretty generous. I never thought to compare this to legendary musical Singing in the Rain, as legendary critic Roger Ebert did, and naturally such a link does Sweethearts no favours. Better to say that it is better than, for example, Woody Allen's muddled satire Celebrity, by virtue of being funnier and more purely entertaining. It is sadly, a bit soft, lacking sufficient bite. Alan Arkin's 'wellness' guru and Stanley Tucci's frustrated studio boss are under used, and given that Crystal is the funniest presence in the film more of Billy would have been another improvement. The film's last act is basically a cop out.

Still, Cusack, CSJ, Roberts and the doberman, they're never less than amusing. A few rewrites and a new ending, and America's Sweethearts could have been great. Sadly, it's only likely to appeal to fans of the actors' better, earlier movies.

Fairly entertaining comedy

[davispittman · 7/10 · 19 May 2017]

America's Sweethearts (2001) is a fairly entertaining comedy starring Catherine Zeta Jones, John Cusack, Julia Roberts, Hank Azaria, and Billy Crystal. First off I'll begin with the casting choices and how they executed their roles. I really liked the cast and how each of them portrayed their roles. Catherine Zeta Jones played the bratty, pampered, annoying actress wife of John Cusack, and she plays that role very well in my opinion. John Cusack is the actor husband of Jones. They starred in practically all their movies together and are considered "America's Sweethearts". They have been separated for about a year and neither of them are doing very well. Jones's films have been bombing at the box office due to them not including Cusack. And Cusack has been up in a rehab therapy place in the mountains. Billy Crystal is a movie publicist who needs to get them back together in order for their next movie to do well because the studio needs it to. And Julia Roberts plays Kiki, Jones's sister and personal assistant. I loved Julia in this role! She plays it so well, her character doesn't have much of a life because she's constantly dealing with her self absorbed childish sister. The plot is executed in a pretty good fashion, it's not excellent, but it's not bad, it's PRETTY good, which is why I gave this movie a 7/10. The comedy worked about 50% of the time. Hank Azaria was bad in this film, I really really didn't like him or his character, he was sooo annoying and just dumb. P***y boy? Really? That's the best you've got for his character? Really the best part of this comedy is Roberts and Cusack and seeing them interact and their relationship blossom. And seeing Jones in this selfish character was amusing, she was a big part of the comedic aspect. Overall I suggest it as a fairly amusing popcorn movie. 7/10 for America's Sweethearts.

Decent throwaway entertainment

[The_Void · 5/10 · 8 December 2004]

John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones are Gwen Harrison and Eddie Thomas; a pair of actors that are collectively known as "America's Sweethearts", due to how well loved they are by their adoring public. However, all is not as rosy as it once was for America's favourite couple, as she has taken a Spanish lover, which has resulted in him entering into a spiral of depression. The situation of their break-up gets worse when the director of their new film has decided to withhold it until they are brought back together. Enter Lee Phillips (Billy Crystal); the movie publicist faced with the task of getting them back together while trying to keep the press - that want to see the new movie - at bay. However, all is not to simple as that, as Eddie is having his head turned by Gwen's sister, 'kiki'...

America's Sweethearts is a nice film, but it's one that suffers from too much attempted satire, and not a lot of jokes that work. Billy Crystal co-wrote the script and strangely, he seems to have given himself the short end of the stick, jokes wise. The cast of America's Sweethearts is good on the whole. John Cusack adds to every movie that he's in; his charisma and style are great and it's always nice to see him on screen. Catherine Zeta-Jones is an overrated actress, but luckily this role doesn't require her to do much more than look nice, which she does nicely. Billy Crystal, whom I've already mentioned and Julia Roberts make up the rest of the leads and support is given to them by Seth Green, Hank Azaria, the excellent and underrated Alan Arkin and Christopher Walken in a hammy and memorable cameo as the director at the film's centre. The satire side of the movie is good, but it flirts with missing the mark throughout the film. The overblown finale is nice and the way that the film shows the media handling things, not to mention the 'films' that it shows Eddie and Gwen in at the start are highlights.

If you want to enjoy yourself for ninety minutes with an enjoyable piece of fluff, you could do a lot worse than this. Of course, you could do a lot better; but this isn't a complete waste of time.

A pleasant surprise...

[mentalcritic · 7/10 · 28 July 2004]

Normally, when one of the first-billed stars of a film is Horse-Mouth, one tends to passionately avoid it. So why did I watch this in spite of two of the other leads being a walking ego and a personality void? Two words: John Cusack. Cusack's laid-back, easy-going style enables him to read cereal boxes in an entertaining fashion. And to be quite frank, it is entirely upon him that the film rests.

As a satire of Hollywood's method of turning actors, especially those that form part of a couple, into a commodity, the film works well. In the film's hundred or so minutes, we constantly are reminded of how two of the leads would rather choose their own life's path rather than bend over and let the media give them a perpetual colonoscopy. This, constrasted with the hypervanity of Catherine Zeta-Jones' character, is where almost all the comedy comes from.

The problem, in a nutshell, is that when Zeta-Jones is the only one in a scene, or when Billy Crystal does almost anything, it all falls flat. Zeta-Jones is just too obnoxious to garner sympathy. Crystal is famous for portraying a Hollywood publicist, struggling psychiatrist, or burned-out urban exec looking for a seachange all in exactly the same way. When he has a better actor to play off, in this case John Cusack, he is tolerable. When he has to stand on his own merits, he's utterly lost. Horse-Mouth, on the other hand, puts in a rare good performance, if only because one sympathises with her character by virtue of comparison.

What saves the principal cast from turning this into a complete farce is the supporting cast. Hank Azaria acquits himself nicely from his appearance in the 1998 version of Godzilla. Whenever he opens his mouth, one can't help but admire his ability to make a bad accent work. It's not hard to understand why he is part of the Simpsons cast. Christopher Walken also puts in a well-timed performance as the eccentric director, managing to cut through the facades with a dose of honesty that I wish more films were made with. His basic call for the audience to wake up and realise that his principal stars don't exist solely to entertain them is one that today's media ought to take to heart.

All in all, I gave America's Sweethearts a seven out of ten. It's not nearly as funny as a Billy Connolly routine, but those put off by the poster art should know it isn't nearly as bad as it looks.