Runaway Bride (1999)

A reporter is assigned to write a story about a woman who has left a string of fiances at the altar.

Director:

Garry Marshall

Writers:

Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott

Stars:

Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack

6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Roberts	...	Maggie Carpenter
Richard Gere	...	Ike Graham
Joan Cusack	...	Peggy Flemming
Hector Elizondo	...	Fisher
Rita Wilson	...	Ellie Graham
Paul Dooley	...	Walter Carpenter
Christopher Meloni	...	Coach Bob Kelly
Donal Logue	...	Priest Brian Norris
Reg Rogers	...	George 'Bug Guy' Swilling
Yul Vazquez	...	Dead Head Gill Chavez
Jane Morris	...	Mrs. Pressman
Lisa Roberts Gillan	...	Elaine from Manhattan
Kathleen Marshall	...	Cousin Cindy
Jean Schertler	...	Grandma
Tom Hines	...	Cory Flemming

Storyline

Ike Graham has his own by-lined column in USA Today, which he usually uses as a forum to rail against the opposite sex. For his latest column which he writes at the last minute as usual, he, based on some information from a stranger in a bar about a woman he knows of back home, includes the story of still single Hale, Maryland residing Maggie Carpenter, who is known as the "Runaway Bride" since she has been engaged multiple times, but always leaves her betrothed standing at the altar. Because an incensed Maggie complains to the newspaper for factual inaccuracies in her story, Ike is fired, but he realizes that the story still has some life in it and thus decides to go to Hale to do further investigation. He finds that Maggie is again engaged, now for the fourth time, this time to high school football coach and adventurist Bob Kelly, who is confident enough in himself to know he will be different than the previous three grooms. When Maggie finds out that her arch enemy Ike is in town, ...

---

Plot Keywords:

bar | bride | maryland | columnist | coach | 

---

Taglines:

Catch her if you can.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some suggestive dialogue

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noiva em Fuga

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,649,984 (UK) (8 October 1999)

Gross:

$152,149,590 (USA) (7 January 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Interscope Communications

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Sunday school scene included many of the cast- and crew-members' children and grandchildren.

---

Goofs

When Maggie is on the horse for her third wedding, when you see her from the front she has a brown shoe on her left foot. When we see her right foot kicking the horse, she is wearing a white heel.

---

Quotes

Ike Graham: [on the perfect proposal] Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me.

---

Crazy Credits

After all of the credits have run, Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are seen throwing snowballs.

---

Connections

References Father of the Bride (1991)

---

Soundtracks

"Jungle in My Heart"
By Mark Diomede and Brett Birnbaugh
Performed by Jugglins Suns

User Reviews

Tastes like leftovers

This could have been a great movie. It should have been a great movie. I wanted it to be a great movie. It was a pretty good movie, but it wasn't a great movie.

I know it's not a PRETTY WOMAN sequel, but with Garry Marshall directing Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Hector Elizondo, and Larry Miller, I couldn't help but expect at least some of the old magic. And RUNAWAY BRIDE starts with lots of promise. Good characters, interesting plot, actors I enjoyed watching. But after a while, every scene seems like little more than a setup for the next punch line. In any romantic comedy, especially in a Garry Marshall romantic comedy, and ESPECIALLY in a Garry Marshall romantic comedy starring Gere and Roberts, I know how I want it to end. And at a certain point, I don't want any more plot twists ands turns, I just want to see the ending I happily paid 8 bucks for. I'm willing to play the will-they-or-won't-they game for just so long. RUNAWAY BRIDE messes with that formula a bit too much, and it ended up frustrating me. And I had really enjoyed it up to that point. After a while, it seemed like the story was being prolonged just for the sake of prolonging it. It seemed forced.

I won't spoil anything, but I will say that I loved the movie up until the scene with the FedEx truck. Everything after the FedEx truck was unnecessary and frustrating. That last 15 minutes or so took an 8 out of 10 movie and made it much harder than it needed to be. Final vote: 6 out of 10.

Sequel or not, people will invariably compare it to PRETTY WOMAN. If Marshall had wanted RUNAWAY BRIDE to stand on its own, he could have cast different actors. (Kevin Costner or David Duchovny come to mind as the male, Jenna Elfman or Sandra Bullock opposite.) But instead, I left the theatre with the taste of leftovers in my mouth; I liked it better the first time around.