Fools Rush In (1997)

After a one night stand with Alex, Isabel realizes that she is pregnant and they decide to get married. However, along with the marriage comes compromise of one's own cultural traditions.

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writers:

Joan Taylor (story), Katherine Reback (story)

Stars:

Matthew Perry, Salma Hayek, Jon Tenney

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Perry	...	Alex Whitman
Salma Hayek	...	Isabel Fuentes Whitman
Jon Tenney	...	Jeff
Carlos Gómez	...	Chuy (as Carlos Gomez)
Tomas Milian	...	Tomas Fuentes
Siobhan Fallon Hogan	...	Lanie (as Siobhan Fallon)
John Bennett Perry	...	Richard Whitman
Stanley DeSantis	...	Judd Marshall
Suzanne Snyder	...	Cathy Stewart
Anne Betancourt	...	Amalia
Jill Clayburgh	...	Nan Whitman
Angelina Torres	...	Great Grandma (as Angelina Calderon Torres)
Debby Shively	...	Donna, Construction Secretary
Mark Adair-Rios	...	Juan Fuentes
Annie Combs	...	Dr. Lisa Barnes, OBGYN

Storyline

Sparks fly and cultures collide in this romantic comedy about a casual night of passion that turns into the love of a lifetime. Alex Whitman is a New Yorker sent to Las Vegas to oversee a construction project. There he meets Isabel Fuentes, and some serious chemistry brings them together for one night. But Alex doesn't see Isabel again until three months later, when he learns she is pregnant. On a whim and prayer, he proposes. However, there's more to marriage than a Vegas chapel and an Elvis impersonator, as Alex and Isabel soon learn.

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Plot Keywords:

elvis presley character | marriage | one night stand | mexican | love | 

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Taglines:

What if finding the love of your life meant changing the life that you loved?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sensuality and brief language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

14 February 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un impulsivo y loco amor

Filming Locations:

6679 Merced Lake Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,714,940, 17 February 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$29,291,566, 13 July 1997

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,100,000, 2 November 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, Aguascalientes is portrayed as quite rural. In point of fact it is a bustling city of nearly a million people. So "near Aguascalientes" might be more on target?

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Goofs

When Isabel's father arrives at Alex's work site to threaten him with a baseball bat, the scene flashes between the father and Alex. In Alex's sunglasses, the father should be visible, but instead it's two men (crew and sound guy).

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Quotes

Isabel Fuentes: [in labor, screaming at Alex] I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!
Dam Policeman Delivering Baby: They always say that.

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Connections

Referenced in Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega... (2000)

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Soundtracks

Danke Schoen
Written by Bert Kaempfert, Kurt Schwabach & Milton Gabler (as Milt Gabler)
Performed by Wayne Newton
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Charming Romantic Comedy!

This movie has been accused of stereotyping its characters in some of the reviews I have read. "Fools Rush In," however, is anti-stereo- typical in a number of ways.

The movie concerns a one-night stand between a beautiful Latina photographer and an upwardly mobile young businessman from New York. They meet in Las Vegas, and the movie details the relationship that develops between them, since the one-night stand results in her pregnancy.

On one level, this is the story of what happens when two individuals with scarcely an idea of serious love and commitment are confronted with a relationship, in the pregnancy, that is more than they bargained for. That is not so unusual. There are many unplanned pregnancies that occur in the world. What is unusual is the way in which the movie handles this fairly conventional situation and the many unconventional issues it brings up.

The reversal of stereotypes begins when Isabel arrives at Alex's house and tells him she plans to keep her baby. This is after he tells her that he is pro-choice. When most people today say "pro-choice," they usually mean allowing for clinical abortion. They don't mean "I plan to keep this baby." Yet, this latter choice is also "pro-choice." This is just one of the ways in which this movie challenges the conventional stereo- types of our time.

There is another important way in which "Fools Rush In" challenges stereotypical thinking. It presents, as a very serious and viable option, the possibility of an intercultural or even interracial marriage. That is

a topic which may still disturb some people, but which should become

more accepted if we are really serious about welcoming a multicultural world and an end to racism.

The movie uses the Grand Canyon and its environment as a metaphor for this and I believe that the attitudes of Isabel's and Alex's family to their budding relationship are exaggerated for this reason: a kind of culture shock. I don't think the movie's director is interested in perpetuating conventional stereotypes.

"Fools Rush In" is charming and truly romantic because it shows how Isabel and Alex--against long-standing cultural opposition and even their own expectations--are inexorably, metaphysically drawn to spend the rest of their lives in love together.

This is an exceptionally strong role for Salma Hayek. She displays a kind of relational integrity in the role of Isabel that is independent of her supposed sex symbol status. She takes control in this movie. Of course, the attitudes and reactions of the other characters are credible, even if slightly caricatured.

In summary, "Fools Rush In" is nothing to rave about, but it is rare enough to award three stars. It is well worth watching!