Rumor Has It... (2005) User Reviews

Interesting Premise, Weak Execution

[christian123 · 5/10 · 3 June 2006]

Jennifer Aniston plays Sarah Huttinger, a journalist about to get married to her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) when she's called back to Pasadena for her sister's wedding. There, she meets millionaire playboy Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner) who had relations with both her mother and grandmother, an incident that might have influenced the '60s movie "The Graduate."

"Rumor Has It" is a lackluster film from Jennifer Aniston that fails to take advantage of its interesting premise. The movie had all the right ingredients to be an entertaining ride. Good cast, good director, engaging premise and a talented screenwriter. So, what went wrong? Rob Reiner tried to make a character driven dramedy that just didn't work. The film was not very funny and they recycled the same jokes over and over again. How many jokes about Pasadena can you have in the first twenty minutes? Apparently not enough for Mr. Reiner. The more serious scenes were deathly dull and this has a lot to do with the fact that all the characters were unlikable and uninteresting. The actors all appeared bored on screen and only one person gave a good performance.

Shirley MacLaine gives an engaging and funny performance as Katherine. She saves the movie completely though she doesn't get a lot of screen time. Jennifer Anniston was pretty bland, nothing special from her. That is two flops in a row for her with this and Derailed. Mark Ruffalo was okay, again nothing special. Mena Suvari gave a decent performance but doesn't get a lot of screen time. Kevin Costner was a complete dud. His performance was very mundane and he shared zero chemistry with everyone on screen.

The appeal between Costner and Aniston seemed force and there was nothing interesting about it at all. The scenes with Aniston and Ruffalo were much better and seemed more real. The family aspects of the movie were okay. There were a few engaging scenes like the bedroom scene between Aniston and Suvari. Those two played sisters and their conversation about their mother was nice to watch. Still, they weren't as good as Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette from "In Her Shoes". The ending was expected and a little unbelievable actually. I still don't understand why he took Sarah back considering she cheated on him and her speech seemed really force. In the end, "Rumor Has It" is simply a weak film that's not really worth watching. Rating 5/10

Thank You Shirley

[don_agu · 5/10 · 6 January 2006]

I walked out of "Fun With Dick and Jane" fuming. I went into this other "comedy" and I stayed. I even laughed a couple of times and smiled a great deal, thanks , mostly, to Shirley MacLaine. The idea was fun, to meet the real characters that inspired "The Graduate" and, in fact, the best moment is the confrontation between Mrs. Robinson (Shirley MacLaine) and Benjamin (Kevin Costner) There is a lavish party and some spectacular travelogues of Northern California but Jennifer Aniston, my dear, take a sabbatical. She was so good in "The Good Girl" But here, a sub Rachel infuriating thing. What's with her mouth? She twitches and bites her lips and represses her smiles and it's dizzying and annoying and anti-comedy. Look at Shirley MacLaine for goodness sake! Has Jennifer Aniston seen "The Apartment"? I know I'm not making much sense but it's not my fault. I blame Rob Reiner really and his scriptwriters and his producers. How many jokes can you make about Pasadena? Please guys, listen to Shirley.

Great concept, great acting - so why does it turn out so weak?

[zetes · 6/10 · 29 May 2006]

This is the kind of movie that just pisses me off to no end because it has so much potential, but somehow it comes off as exceedingly mediocre. Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who discovers her family was the model for the novel and film The Graduate. She never saw how she fit in with her family, so she wonders if maybe the model for Benjamin, a rich man named Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), is her real father. She's wrong, but in the process of this discovery, she ends up sleeping with the man, thus continuing the tradition of her mother (deceased) and grandmother (played here by Shirley MacLaine). This in turn ruins her relationship with her loving fiancé (Mark Ruffalo). I remember seeing the trailer last fall and thinking, "This is a great idea." I laughed pretty much constantly during that preview. Unfortunately, it contains most of the film's best moments. The actual film is more of a romance (or perhaps a better term would be "chick flick") than a comedy. It gets somewhat sappy, and the whole thing lumbers on and his never very strong. This is especially annoying, as all the actors are actually very good. Aniston proves once again that she is a very good actress (if only she could land some great material). Costner gives his second excellent performance of the year (I thought his performance in The Upside of Anger was perhaps the year's best performance from an actor). He was so mediocre earlier on, it's kind of cool to see that maybe he is just now hitting his peak. Mark Ruffalo is very funny, as is Mena Suvari, who plays Aniston's younger sister. And MacLaine's role is absolutely golden. She also had a very good performance elsewhere in '05 (In Her Shoes), but she has even more to do here and she flexes her comic muscles. With all that goodness, it really pains me that it's so hard to muster any enthusiasm for this somewhat lame film!

this film is so creepy it hurts

[tarasharif-01951 · 2/10 · 20 September 2020]

How do three generations of a family sleep with the same guy and it's just a little kooky joke in the family?

Rumor Lacks It

[Chrysanthepop · 6 July 2008]

'Rumor Has It' pretty much has all the technical ingredients: Good actors, interesting premise (a girl trying to find herself), excellent cinematography, breathtaking shots of America and a nice score. However, it's let down by the writing and direction. For a comedy, it's not so funny. Many of the jokes fall flat. For a drama, it just doesn't engage and a lot of it looks forced. The movie derails every now and then and the whole 'romantic' angle between Costner's Beau and Aniston's Sarah feels icky and looks unconvincing. Jennifer Aniston is in a confused Rachel Green mode (except here her character is not likable and she's a little too whiny). Mark Ruffalo does a decent job as the supportive boyfriend and shares a good chemistry with Aniston. Their scenes in the beginning are quite fun to watch. It's just the last scene that was a little less believable as Jeff seems to have forgiven Sarah too easily. Kevin Costner seems sleazy (when the character wasn't really meant to appear that way) and he and Aniston seem to lack chemistry. Mena Suvari has a pointless and thankless role. The last scene between her and Aniston just seemed ...well, forced. However, it is Shirley MacLaine who delivers the best performance. She provides all the laugh out loud moments but her role is too small to be the saving grace. Simply put, 'Rumor Has It' is a weak and confused film.

I liked it!

[micromiz · 6/10 · 28 December 2005]

It was fun. This has been panned by many, but heck, it's not supposed to be Shakespeare. It has a great cast -- Shirley McLaine and Kevin Costner have a great scene together. I liked Jennifer Aniston -- especially in the blue dress. Mark Ruffalo was the nice guy. I laughed a lot. It wasn't all fluff, either. I thought the characters grew a little. Jennifer and her sister and father grew closer. I think if you saw the original The Graduate, this movie might be more interesting to you. There were some great shots of Pasadena and the California coast. Definitely is a chick-flick. I went with a girl friend of mine and we both enjoyed it.

'Rumor' has no humor

[anhedonia · 1/10 · 27 May 2006]

The truth about "Rumor" - it stinks.

How could a film with such an enticing premise and talented cast go so horribly awry?

When I first heard the idea for "Rumor Has It...," I thought what an interesting concept: A newly-engaged young woman, Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston), comes to Pasadena, Calif., for her sister Annie's (Mena Suvari) wedding and realizes her family was the inspiration for Charles Webb's novel, "The Graduate," which Mike Nichols turned into a landmark film in 1967.

In addition to Aniston and Suvari, you toss in Shirley MacLaine (as the potential Mrs. Robinson), Mark Ruffalo, Richard Jenkins, Kathy Bates and, of course, Kevin Costner (as Benjamin Braddock all grown up).

So why does "Rumor Has It..." stink?

Because it just isn't funny. It's flat, tepid, utterly devoid of even the slightest hint of humor.

I've no idea whether this is because writer Ted Griffin was fired as director and Rob Reiner, who hasn't made a good film in ages, was brought in to direct. Honestly, I thought Reiner hit his nadir in 1999 with "The Story of Us." But then he followed that four years later with the execrable "Alex & Emmma." Surely, that was his nadir. Nope. Apparently, he could sink lower and he proves it with "Rumor Has It..." Beau Burroughs is the kind of role Costner should revel in. Yet, he's completely dull. There's no sparkle in Costner's performance, the glint in his eye is gone. Compare this rotten turn with his wonderful performance in "The Upside of Anger" (2005) and you'll realize how brilliant he could have been.

Aniston tries incredibly hard to salvage something out of her lead role. But - and I don't know whether this is Griffin's fault because I've no idea how much of his script wound up in the final cut - poor Sarah gets nothing funny to say and even fewer funny things to do. As far as Reiner seems to be concerned, this is a serious role. The talented Ruffalo gets a thankless role as Sarah's woeful fiancé, Jeff; and Suvari turns up in a role that is completely unnecessary. Why is Anna even in this picture other than to give Sarah a reason to come to Pasadena? MacLaine gives yet another performance we expect from her in a role that she can now play in her sleep. This time it's the boozy, yet no-nonsense, grandmother. Blink and you'll miss Bates.

The film's only believable character is Earl Huttinger, Sarah's dad, played superbly by Jenkins. There doesn't seem anything fake about Jenkins' performance - then again, there never is - and the scene between Earl and Sarah in the kitchen is the film's only highlight. You never doubt for an instant that Earl is a man who deeply loves his children.

It's a shame that "Rumor Has It..." turned into such a fiasco. It only goes to prove that even a bright concept and talented cast can't automatically save a lousy movie.

Not a great script or story but......

[sunznc · 6/10 · 21 July 2009]

I have to say that the film has it's problems. It's almost like the producer/producers saw films like "Monster in Law" and "Parenthood" or "Father of the Bride" and wanted to capture those funny, madcap and endearing moments and instead didn't quite have the material or dialogue or script to really pull it all off. You think that something funny is coming and the scene ends and just isn't that laugh inducing. I wanted to laugh-but it just wasn't funny.

Also, I don't know if I buy into the story. At the end of The Graduate Elaine and Ben run to the street and catch a public bus taking them from Elaine's wedding while the guests have been locked in the church by Ben. Would Elaine and Ben have married after that? Maybe not-it would have been very awkward for both families for many years. But I'm not sure Elaine would have dumped Ben nor do I particularly but into this scenario.

Could this have been the outcome for them? Maybe but I don't see it.

There are some funny moments but for the most part this is predictable and flat. Not bad though. I just don't think anyone will watch this and find it hilarious. Some of it is actually kind of sad.

A film that proves rumors are bad, really bad

[AshleyDenise · 3/10 · 26 December 2005]

About halfway into the film, a few peripheral characters begin discussing movies, classic movies--Chinatown, Casablanca, the Graduate. One asks, "why don't movies like this get made anymore?" An ironic question indeed for a film that is 8 billion light years away from even hoping to be in the company of such films and spends the entirety of its screen time ripping off (poorly) classic films. I'd rather they re-release truly original, inspired films like the ones they mar than throw them in a blender and see what hodge-podge comes out.

Jennifer Aniston deserves a nod for flailing discreetly in the wimpy script and for acting like she even wanted to stand near Kevin Cosner, who has all the sexual magnetism of a dry flounder.

The movie-- if it does anything-- does one thing, it proves Shirley McClain's got it and she can fake it even when given a bad script. I give it a 3 because I laughed at least twice, Shirley McClain gets a point for sauciness, and the final point for the studio that had the audacity to have a love connection between a girl and someone who not 5 minutes before she thought was her father--wowzer.

Skip it. Rent the graduate. Rent Casablanca. Make Hollywood give us better films.

Don't believe the rumors you hear

[howeandhill · 6/10 · 28 December 2005]

I like to have an idea of what the public thinks about a movie before i go and see it. This movie in particular definitely wasn't bad like people were saying. I really enjoyed it and I don't know If i can agree with what people have been saying about the movie. Its not every day I go out and see a movie like this, so it was something different for me. I do recommend the movie to people to see. After the countless love stories and such, I was starting to lose hope that there was a movie out there that could keep my interest. I was surprised by this movie and enjoyed it all the way through. It was a story that really hasn't been driven into the ground like so many recent movies. I like the twists and turns in the movie and I have always enjoyed Kevin Costner and Jennifer Aniston. It was a different sort of combination that really hit the spot.

Resuscitating a Classic Movie with a Lacking, Lethargic Sequel Three Decades Later

[EUyeshima · 4/10 · 11 April 2007]

There are moments in this inconsequential 2005 comedy when I can see a bright future for Jennifer Aniston's light comedic talents, even though this movie does not stretch her much beyond her likeably insecure "Friends" persona. She plays Sarah Huttinger, a likeably insecure New York Times obituary writer going home to Pasadena to attend her younger sister Annie's wedding. Sarah is picture-pretty, 33 and engaged to a nice, unflappable guy named Jeff who accompanies her. At the same time, she's unhappy about her career and wondering why she always feels out-of-sorts with her well-to-do family. A ray of light comes from her only kindred spirit in the family, her feisty, tart-tongued grandmother Katherine, who tells Sarah about her late mother's pre-wedding tryst in Mexico that gives rise to questions about Sarah's paternity.

All the domestic shenanigans that ensue would probably be enough to fill this comedy's blessedly brief 96-minute running time, but screenwriter Ted Griffin hangs it all on the idea that Sarah's family may have been the inspiration for the Robinsons in Charles Webb's 1963 novel, "The Graduate", which of course, is the basis of Mike Nichols' classic 1967 movie. The tie-in must have sounded like a creative idea on paper, but something happened on the way to the screen that has taken most of the comic invention out of it. In fact, there is a pervasive lethargy throughout this movie, and director Rob Reiner is unable to overcome it because Sarah's dilemma of choosing between adventure and predictability never feels that emotionally resonant. The dialogue never feels sharp, perceptive or funny enough to pull off the inevitable comparisons with the earlier film. Moreover, the story is set rather arbitrarily in 1997 to make the timelines make sense with the stars' ages.

Beyond Aniston, a strong cast has been set adrift. Playing Katherine like an even more embittered variation on Aurora Greenway, Shirley MacLaine crackles with aplomb as the possible inspiration for Mrs. Robinson, even when her lines are not as snappy as she thinks they are. As the aging but still magnetic Benjamin Braddock doppelganger, a high-tech mogul named Beau Burroughs, an overly sedate Kevin Costner barely registers in a smallish role. When he does, there is an insinuating, almost creepy quality in the way Beau's relationship with Sarah evolves. Until the end, Mark Ruffalo has little to do as Jeff but wait patiently for Sarah to resolve her personal dilemma. Richard Jenkins and Mena Suvari have even less time to make an impression in the underwritten roles of Sarah's passive father and bubbly sister, respectively. The 2006 DVD provides the original theatrical trailer (which gives away most of the plot) as its sole extra.

Rumours are flying...

[kurt_messick · 8/10 · 31 January 2006]

Rumour has it that 'Rumor Has It' is a pretty good film. This will by no means be an Oscar contender, but as a pleasant diversion on a weekend afternoon, or possibly as a date movie (for those who still go on dates), this could be a winning movie. Jennifer Aniston, late of 'Friends', plays a role that is in many ways reminiscent of the Rachel role - she is a transplanted New Yorker, returning home to L.A. (actually, Pasadena, which becomes a running joke) with her as-yet-unannounced fiancé to attend her younger sister's wedding. We learn all of this in the first few minutes, possibly before the credits are done scrolling on the screen - the frenetic pace of 'Friends' is still here.

Rumour has it that there was a family in Pasadena that the film 'The Graduate' is based upon - Sarah (Anniston) fixates upon the idea that this may be her family. She questions her grandmother (Shirley MacLaine, but don't call her grandmother), who tells of a possible affair her mother had with a playboy before her marriage (Kevin Costner, now a dot-com mega-millionaire). Sarah goes off without her fiancé in search of her mother's past, but finds a past of her own, of a sort.

Lots of twists and turns in the film have the characters racing up and down the coast of California in search of the past, the future, and the truth, which ends up being both expected and unexpected in this complicated but easily-followed plot.

There aren't major effects and major surprises here. The situational comedy is very much in keeping with an extended version of a comfortable television show, even with the star power of MacLaine and Costner backing Anniston up. The writing is serviceable with occasional flashes of true wit, and the pace of the film is even and pleasant. In all, this is a good film, well worth seeing for a bit of entertainment. Director Rob Reiner does have a talent for good films, and this is one of them.

Wonderful take a look for yourself...

[brillsevy · 7/10 · 1 January 2006]

I was reluctant to go because the reviews were so bad. Family night with the wife, kids, and grandkids brought me there. I thought it was great. It was funny the situations were unpredictable as was the story ending. It was touted as shallow but found not so at all. Our family left the movie with questions about how troubles bring the truth about where you want to be. A realistic look at relationships with questions and answers they choose good ones what would you choose? Hard to imagine why it's not gotten better review it's getting a better one from me. Take a look before you miss something wonderful. Much better than the "The Producers" which I thought would be great and which almost put me to sleep.

An imaginary and unfunny update and twist on The Graduate

[jbachrach · 1/10 · 27 December 2005]

I was predisposed to like this movie: A good cast and an accomplished director. Unfortunately, there was also a terrible script, bad pacing, poor editing and, except for Shirley MacLaine, not very good acting and very few laughs. I would not recommend this movie to anyone. A complete waste of my time and money. I know this observation has been made elsewhere. but Rob Reiner should make a choice between full time movie making and full time political activism, because he clearly cannot do both at the same time. The problems with the movie became apparent in the first few moments during the airplane sequence. There was no chemistry between Jennifer Aniston and Mark Rufalo, and while that may have worked to emphasize the point that she was reluctant to get married, it also meant that the viewer had no rooting interest in seeing them get together in the end, although true to romantic comedy form, that ending was bound to happen. Frankly, the dull, humorless beginning was the real foreshadowing of the entire movie, which was also humorless and dull. The film only picked up its pace on the few occasions when MacLaine was on screen. She could have been giving a masters class in acting to her fellow cast members, but obviously they weren't paying attention, The real bottom line is that while there was a kernel of a good idea in this update of The Graduate, the script was unfunny and the characters were unsympathetic.

Boring film inspired from 'The Graduate'. Very mediocre

[long-ford · 12 February 2009]

This film bored me. Jennifer Aniston is decent but the plot is weak. No one really leaves an impression though Mark Ruffalo tries hard in a thankless part. The film draws inspiration from 'The Graduate' but doesn't come even close to the 1967 film. Kevin Costner has a little fun with his role. Shirley MacLaine plays the same role she's been playing essentially for the last few years, a crotchety version of Shirley Maclaine! Aniston's character is quite simply tiresome and her emotional journey didn't leave an impact on me. Avoid unless you are bored with nothing else to do.

Overall 4/10

Triple bad

[thrillofcarter-1 · 2/10 · 5 November 2019]

Spoiler alert !!! Woman finds out her grandmother and mom slept with same guy, so what does she do? She sleeps with the guy. So stupid and Kevin Cosner as the guy is not believable at all. Acting is awful. ( except Shirley , she is always good) Can't blame actors since script is so bad.

A lighthearted comedy with a few good laughs

[balos · 7/10 · 1 January 2006]

I just do not think that the several harsh comments here are fair...I mean, what did you expect from this movie? I think some people just took this movie more seriously than they should have, and expected more from it, just because it sounded like a follow-up to the Hollywood classic "The Graduate"? Well, don't expect much....and you will have fun!!! You do not have to take this movie seriously, it is just a lighthearted movie (comedy/drama) with a few good laughs(e.g. grandma Katherine's toast to the newlyweds, the family phone call with Sarah, grandma, sister, father involved)

"Rumor Has It" is not the movie of the year....Or it is not a great movie, but it is definitely watchable, and it is really fun at times. I agree that that the storyline is so predictable, but most of the movies in Hollywood are predictable one way or the other, so what is the big deal? I do not think Jennifer Aniston is a very good actress, yet she is okay in this movie; Kevin Costner and Shirley McLaine are really good---I think Kevin Costner is making a good comeback, he was even better in the Upside of Anger earlier this year--- and their confrontation in front of the house is fun!

A Bad Movie

[ThomasColquith · 3/10 · 8 July 2021]

"Rumor Has It" is a bad movie; it lacks taste, class, depth, and honesty. It is totally unbelievable as a story, not humorous, not witty or interesting, it is just bad, with the only positive being that the cinematography was fine. I gave it a 3/10 and not lower simply because I did sit through the whole movie and watch it without fast forwarding, so I give those a 3/10. But this is certainly not a film that I would recommend.

All one can think watching this train wreck is "why?" Why did Mark Ruffalo's character take her back? Why did the sister have a nervous breakdown for no reason? Why did Kevin Costner's character sleep with three generations of women? Why did Aniston's character sleep with who she thought was possibly her father? How did she know he wasn't lying? Why is the grandma so crass? Why did this movie get made? And lastly, why did I watch this film???

Interesting Premise, Top Director & A Great Cast, But It Misses The Mark

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 22 September 2016]

Rumour Has It (2005)

KC followed up his brilliant supporting role in The Upside Of Anger, with another supporting role in this Rob Reiner comedy.

Plot In A Paragraph: Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) learns that her family was the inspiration for the book and film The Graduate.

Rumour Has It is not a good movie, it's a watchable one, but it's not good. It had an interesting premise, a top director and a good cast, but for one reason or another it misses.

Jennifer Aniston plays Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo, who I had noticed in a few other movies before this, shows promise for bigger and better things, Menu Suvari bounces a lot, Kathy Bates pops up briefly but Shirley MacLaine is the one who brings life to the movie. For his part KC at least looks like he is having fun. Though snogging Jennifer Aniston probably wasn't the worst day he ever had on a movie set.

I'm not sure how a movie directed by Rob Reiner, starring, Jennifer Aniston, KC, an up and coming Mark Ruffalo, Shirley MacLain, Mean Suvari, Kathy Bates Missed the mark, but it just doesn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, I can watch it if it's on, but it's not one I take off the shelf too often, if ever.

Yawn, Yawn, Yawn

[bob-rutzel · 3/10 · 19 May 2006]

Sarah (Anniston) is engaged to be married to Jeff (Ruffalo) but while attending her sister's wedding she discovers that her late mother may have had an affair with Beau Burroughs (Costner) one week before her (mother's) wedding. Sarah wonders if Burroughs is her real father.

After a couple clumsy, non-funny attempts at humor (Sarah and Jeff attempt sex in an airplane bathroom; Sarah's father has a silly game to hold one's breath while driving thru tunnels), the movie yawns to the opening. The only time I laughed was when Sarah's father feints kicking Beau in the family jewels as he really did in a high school game when they were kids. Other than that, there was no humor in here. So much for comedy. No good lines either although Sarah's grandmother, Shirley MacLane, does try.

One would think that with all the star power available, the script would have more punch in it. Jennifer Anniston must have a face coach. She grimaces, twists and contorts her face way too much as if to convey the real meaning of her actions just in case you miss them. But, the face moves aside she does an acceptable job as do the rest of the cast. There is just nothing anyone can do with this script. It should have been better. And, let's face it, Costner cannot Dance with Chick Flicks. Yawn

Sweet movie

[leeann_stone · 6/10 · 5 January 2006]

This is more of a chick flick. The kind of movie you want to watch when you are feeling lazy and have nothing better to do. Jennifer Aniston did a great job but her grandmother Shirly MacLaine took the Emmy.

Kevin Costner's participation in this movie was unusual. Made the movie very interesting.

Overall, this movie needed a bit more gusto. It tends to drag and drag, and finally something happens. I think having Jennifer Aniston as one of the main characters didn't quite fulfill the part. The movie lacked pizzas and more drama.

Perhaps, they should have considered Angelina Jolie.

Not!!!!!!

Not just a rumour, a bad film

[Prismark10 · 2/10 · 1 July 2016]

The film is inspired by the plot of The Graduate. If only this was half as good as that classic. The premise is that the author of the novel, The Graduate based his book on real people who lived in 1960s Pasadena. A bride who ran away with this young graduate three days before her wedding and the guy had also slept with her mother, the original Mrs Robinson.

Sarah (Jennifer Aniston) is engaged to be married to Jeff (Mark Ruffalo) who attends her sister's wedding, hears about this rumour and she realises that life might had imitated art. Her late mother may have had an affair with Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner) several days before her wedding. Sarah wonders if Burroughs could be her real father and that she also slept with her grandmother (Shirley Maclaine.)

Sarah heads of to find Beau Burroughs who is a dot com millionaire and it looks like she could be the third generation in her family to fall for his charms.

As romantic comedy it fails on both counts. There were moments in this film I watched in utter embarrassment that this drivel was being passed on to me as entertainment from a director of the calibre of Rob Reiner.

There is no chemistry of a spark of romance between Sarah and Jeff, you can see it when they attempt to have sex in an aeroplane bathroom (which is kind of difficult at the time when this movie was made with increased aeroplane security in the USA, believe me I tried it in that era!)

Sarah's father (Richard Jenkins) makes jokes about Pasadena and has silly games like holding one's breath while driving through a tunnel. Making a family quirky does not make them funny.

The script was misconceived and left their actors flailing about with what they had. Costner, Jenkins and Mena Suvari were wasted. Ruffalo was just ill at ease. Maclaine could had played her role in her sleep as the glamorous grandmother.

A Nutshell Review: Rumor Has It

[DICK STEEL · 8/10 · 23 February 2006]

Based on a true rumor, the premise of the movie was set up oh-so perfectly, especially if you're a fan of Mike Nichols' 1967 Dustin Hoffman-Anne Bancroft movie, The Graduate (with its immortal line uttered again in this film). It's pretty creative to have that story and characters intertwined with the narrative of this movie.

In this Jennifer Aniston vehicle (is it always that the wives of more famous husbands get meatier roles when they break up?), she plays an obituary writer (another fashionable job since Jude Law became one in Closer) Sarah Huttinger, who's the fiancée of Jeff Daly (Mark Ruffalo). However, she's commitment phobic and is getting cold feet each time Jeff brings up marriage, and it doesn't help that they're attending her sister's (Mena Suvari), therefore meeting her dad (Richard Jenkins) and other relatives she can't get along with.

But rumor after rumor, and having realize that her deceased mother had gone for a fling before her own marriage, Sarah begins an investigative hunt into those (un)faithful days, and with probing for more information from her grandma Katharine (Shirley MacLaine), she discovers Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), the man whom Dustin Hoffman's Ben was modeled after. So it goes that the writer of The Graduate, Charles Webb, is a close friend of Beau, and the story is based loosely on his dalliances with Katharine. Which also means, as Sarah discovers, that the book and movie, is based on her family! But it gets better (or is it worse?) as Sarah herself falls for Beau and has a one-night stand, bringing to mind all the dirty, sick thoughts of possible incest. The audience gets teased every now and then when you attempt to piece together the possible relationships between the characters, and it gets worse as we go along, until the final revelation at the end. It's amazing too how you become glued to the story, despite its simplicity in its themes.

Which is surprisingly not romantic relationship per se, which got shoved to the sidelines, but that of commitment. It tries to examine what makes people stick to each other, and what it takes to accept, forgive, and find courage to move on. If you're bringing your date to his movie, have the correct mindset - it's not just another simple date movie, but one which sets both of you thinking. It's got some kick in it too, all thanks to references to The Graduate movie.

Lifting this movie is again the veterans of Shirley MacLaine and Richard Jenkins. MacLaine has played the grandma role to two sisters earlier this year in In Her Shoes. However, this is not a simple rehash of the role, as this one's a little more slapstick, a little more Mrs Robinson, a little more caustic in language and character, but a lot lot lesser screen time. Richard Jenkins too plays the familiar father figure who stands by his daughters, ala his dad role in North Country shown earlier. No doubt that their roles are small, but their characters, all powerful.

Kevin Costner seems to be moving to making smaller movies. I won't say that he's excellent in this movie, because it felt like it was a stroll in the park. Having him falling for and romancing a younger woman in Aniston, was similar to his role last year in The Upside of Anger. All eyes though will be on Jennifer Aniston, as her character has certain takes on relationships that cut a little close to her real life split and how she moved on.

It's a movie which you think the trailers had revealed all, but trust me, it delivered a lot more than what the trailers suggested. It's fun, witty, and refreshing to a certain extent. Do give this movie a watch if spoilt for choices from the Oscar contenders amongst the crowded theater schedules.

Rumor Has It... This Wasn't Too Bad

[likemikexxiii · 6/10 · 7 November 2005]

I went and saw this movie at a preview last night. I was pleasantly surprised, this was a chick-flick that I could handle. However I mainly enjoyed it for a few classy lines and performances - not from Costner or Aniston - they were good, but it was Mark Ruffalo and Shirley MacLaines characters and their acting that really made the movie for me.

All the hype on the message boards about incest was not as dramatic as some make it out to be - though some moments make you cringe.

Also as an avid Adam Sandler fan, the best laugh for me was when Christopher McDonald walked into the shot - Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore "Just stay out of my way or you'll pay, listen to what I say" All in all this was a light-hearted comedy that the blokes will be able to handle when they get dragged along by their 'Friends'-loving girlfriend.

Rumor has it is awful

[henxan · 1/10 · 16 January 2006]

I occasionally waste my time with pointless acts. Watching this movie was one so beyond comprehension. I've picked my nose and it have never been more boring then this movie.

The spoiler is: sex with the grandmother, the mother, and guess what happens when the role played by kevin costner meets the daughter. Films like this one infuriates me, because its so extremely predictable as a film can be. I didn't laugh even once through the movie.

The underline for this move I believe to be boring. Tedious. Irritating.

A summary of the movie is: Daughter discovers mother and grandmother had sex with the same man. Someone wrote a book based on it, later came the movie: The graduate with Dustin Hoffman. She meets the man, and o'holy moses guess what happens. Well, her father took her mother back after the affair, and guess what her fiancée does? Of course you know.

If I ever occasionally meet Rob Reiner on the street(who has directed this movie), I'm going to slap him in the face. Thats how bad it is.

For your own best: don't watch this movie!!