Return to Me (2000)

A man who falls in love with the woman who received his wife's heart must decide which woman it is who holds his heart.

Director:

Bonnie Hunt

Writers:

Bonnie Hunt (story), Don Lake (story),

Stars:

David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, Carroll O'Connor

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Duchovny	...	Bob Rueland
Minnie Driver	...	Grace Briggs
Carroll O'Connor	...	Marty O'Reilly
Robert Loggia	...	Angelo Pardipillo
Bonnie Hunt	...	Megan Dayton
David Alan Grier	...	Charlie Johnson
Joely Richardson	...	Elizabeth Rueland
Eddie Jones	...	Emmett McFadden
James Belushi	...	Joe Dayton
Marianne Muellerleile	...	Sophie
William Bronder	...	Wally Jatczak
Brian Howe	...	Mike
Chris Barnes	...	Jeff
Adam Tanguay	...	Adam Dayton
Karson Pound	...	Karson Dayton

Storyline

The film opens with a loving husband and wife preparing for a very important fund raising dinner. The evening ends with the loss of the wife. In a hospital a weak young woman who may die soon if she can not get a new heart. Jump ahead one year the young woman received a heart and is trying to adjust to a life no longer counted by hours or days, she can actually make plans. The grieving husband and his dog are still trying to adjust to life without his wife. His friends keep trying to pry him from his "work is my life" existence by setting him up on blinds dates. Finally he actually shows up for one at an Irish-Italian restaurant where he finds himself more attracted to the waitress than his blind date. He finds an excuse to return to the restaurant in hopes of seeing the waitress again, there's just something attractive about her. Unknown to both the attraction they both feel for one another is Grace has the heart of Bob's dead wife. What can you say after that! Carroll O'Connor says ...

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Plot Keywords:

heart | restaurant | waitress | transplant | widower | 

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Taglines:

A comedy straight from the heart.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

7 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Distance Calls

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$24,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£269,640 (UK) (9 June 2000)

Gross:

ESP 74,961,626 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

JLT Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The zoo mailbox was a production prop that turned out to be a major headache, in that it necessitated the presence of a production staff member to prevent actual zoo attendees from depositing their mail in it.

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Goofs

When Elizabeth is being rushed into the hospital, it's said that she's 34 years old. Later in the film during bowling, Bob reveals that he's 38, yet he also says that he and Elizabeth started dating when they were in the same high school class. This is possible since it is over a year later, which would have made Elizabeth 35/36, and not all high school classes are divided by grade. It is also possible that Bob was simply rounding up to "25 years" when stating how long it had been since he'd last gone bowling and/or he was not also 13 while attending the 13th birthday party of the girl he mentioned.

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Quotes

Marty: This guy you're talking about, he can't sing at all.
Angelo: He can't sing? Then why has he got such a big band?
Wally Jatczak: To drown him out!

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Connections

References Going My Way (1944)

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Soundtracks

"O Sole Mio"
Traditional
Written by Eduardo Di Capua (uncredited), Giovanni Capurro (uncredited) and Alfredo Mazzucchi (uncredited)
Performed by the Rudy Gabor Strolling Strings

User Reviews

They *can* make 'em like they used to!

My parents frequently state that there are no romantic comedies as good as the ones made when they were young. Hah! Here's one, which is a tremendous credit to the entire cast and crew.

The context of the plot is preposterous, which is true of most good romantic comedies: David Duchovny's dearly beloved wife is killed in a car accident; her heart is given to Minnie Driver in a transplant operation; the two fall in love at first sight. Complications ensue.

This plot isn't much more ridiculous than those of Astaire and Rogers movies, but 50 years ago the concept of a heart transplant didn't exist. If it had, I'm willing to bet Fred and Ginger or Tracy and Hepburn would have been in a film with a similar script!

This film worked because the characters are real, despite the plot. Amazingly, David Duchovny actually emotes in this film! I especially appreciated the supporting characters. It was great to see Carroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia acting like real elderly people. I suspect we all know senior citizens who are just as loving and nosy as they are! Also, the team of Bonnie Hunt (who also directed) and James Belushi as Minnie Driver's best friends worked well. Their family acts a lot like most families, down to the messiness of the house and kids repeating things they shouldn't.

If you're looking for a deep, meaningful film, this isn't it. If you want a film where you don't completely check out your brain but still want entertainment, this is well worth seeing.