America's Sweethearts (2001)

A movie publicist deals with the messy public split of his movie's co-stars while keeping reporters at bay while a reclusive director holds the film's print hostage.

Director:

Joe Roth

Writers:

Billy Crystal, Peter Tolan

Stars:

Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Billy Crystal

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Roberts	...	Kiki Harrison
Billy Crystal	...	Lee Phillips
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Gwen Harrison
John Cusack	...	Eddie Thomas
Hank Azaria	...	Hector
Stanley Tucci	...	Dave Kingman
Christopher Walken	...	Hal Weidmann
Alan Arkin	...	Wellness Guide
Seth Green	...	Danny Wax
Scot Zeller	...	Davis
Larry King	...	Self
Steve Pink	...	Limo Driver
Rainn Wilson	...	Dave O'Hanlon
Eric Balfour	...	Security Guard
Marty Belafsky	...	Security Guard

Storyline

In the midst of a nasty public breakup of married movie stars, a studio publicist scrambles to put a cap on the escalating situation as the couple's latest film has found its only print kidnapped by the director.

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Plot Keywords:

love | breakup | film within a film | rain | media | 

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Taglines:

The Crew's Here. The Cameras Are Rolling. And the Director's Got a Problem!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, some crude and sexual humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Downey Jr. was originally slated to play Eddie. John Cusack was cast instead when Downey's legal problems raised doubts as to whether he would be available for filming.

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Goofs

When Gwen is on Larry King Live, her hair jumps about between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: America first fell in love with Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison in the box office smash "Autumn With Greg And Peg". They had the most celebrated marriage in Hollywood. Who could forget how they hit one out of the park in "Requiem for an Outfielder"?

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Alternate Versions

DVD deleted scenes are:

• Extended scene of Hector in the bathtub; a girl had been fellating him under the bubbles
• Eddie calls the wellness guide, who's tooling around the Las Vegas Strip in a classic Cadillac convertible, about whether or not to meet Gwen for dinner
• After Eddie and Kiki wake up, Leaf shows up to rekindle the vengeance affair Eddie had with her on the set and comments on Kiki's weight loss
• Hal bickers about the lack of honesty in Hollywood to a Spanish-speaking tow truck driver in the desert after his car broke down
• Danny tries unsuccessfully to schmooze Hal in the auditorium after the film

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Connections

References I Love Lucy (1951)

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Soundtracks

White Rabbit
Written by Grace Slick

User Reviews

Translates to the small screen well

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

America's Sweethearts

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$46,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,181,877, 22 July 2001

Gross USA:

$93,607,673

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$138,307,673

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, Face Productions, Roth-Arnold Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1