Director Norman Jewison attempts to strike "Moonstruck" gold a second time with "Only You," a "Cinderella" tale that is also a sweet and frequently funny romantic comedy with a charming cast. (Not to mention Sven Nykvist's knockout cinematography of Venice, Rome and southern Italy.)
This time out, however, the tale is even fluffier, and the biggest laughs are provided by scene-stealing, wisecracking Bonnie Hunt (the mother in the "Beethoven" movies), in what might be called the Eve Arden role. She gives the film a major boost with deadpan delivery of witty dialogue that is truly hilarious. (Some of which seems to be ad-libbed.)
In the lead, however, is Marisa Tomei, Oscar-winner as best supporting actress for "My Cousin Vinny" and most recently seen in "The Paper" as Michael Keaton's pregnant wife. Here she plays Faith, a much more tame, calm and somewhat less interesting character.
As a youngster, Faith is obsessed with the idea that she is destined to meet her true love for a written-in-the-stars romance. She even knows his name — Damon Bradley — which was spelled out by a Ouija board and later given to her by a Gypsy fortune teller.
Fourteen years later, as Faith is teaching school in Pittsburgh, the name is still on her mind, but she has set it aside and is preparing to marry a bland podiatrist. Then, over Labor Day weekend, just 10 days before her wedding, while Faith is trying on her prospective mother-in-law's wedding dress, she gets a phone call from — you guessed it — Damon Bradley. It seems he's a friend of Faith's fiance, and he's at the airport about to leave for Venice, simply calling to wish the happy couple well.
But Faith goes nuts — racing to the airport in the wedding gown, trying frantically to get on Bradley's plane and then, heading for Venice to track him down. Her sister-in-law and longtime friend Kate (Hunt) joins her for the journey, which finds them trailing Bradley all across Italy.
Eventually, they meet up with Brad-ley, in the form of Robert Downey Jr., . . . or is he really someone else, just stringing Faith along?
This is pretty contrived stuff, no question. And Jewison relies heavily on the charm of his players — all of whom deliver in spades. (Including Joaquim De Almeida, the central, Spanish-speaking villain in "Clear and Present Danger," here playing an Italian ladies man.)
Despite the machinations of the main plot, however, it is Kate's cynical view of marriage, her own troubled relationship with her husband (played by Fisher Stevens) and a near-romance with De Almeida that bolster the film. Hunt is touching, sweet and very funny, with a tart ability to deliver sharp comic dialogue that is rare these days — despite the presence of dozens of standup comics in TV sitcoms.
So, where has Hunt been? And more importantly, when does she get a movie of her own?
"Only You" is rated PG for a few profanities, some fisticuffs and some partial nudity (thong bikinis, Tomei's see-through dress).