This is an absolutely reasonable chick flick if that's what you're looking for, and it doesn't really get any deeper than that. It has all the makings of a perfectly predictable story line, with a twist that you probably won't expect at the finale, but then it gets back on track to make it to the finish line. I did think Julia Roberts over acted some her scenes where she didn't come across as natural, while Richard Gere coasted through the story in the most suave and debonair manner to win over the family and friends of Maggie Carpenter (Roberts). The story does deliver a number of humorous situations and some of the dialog is pretty clever, so you get a liberal helping of laughs and romance while watching. Even Christopher Meloni's character is let down rather easily in his bid to finally succeed in tying the knot with Maggie, as his hopes are dashed before even arriving at the altar. Although none of the supporting players are real heavyweights, they do carry the ball well when their turn comes up, one of the funniest being Jean Schertler's turn as Grandma. As a comedy, this is about as light as they come, and fans of the principals ought to be well pleased.

Anybody who doesn't like the director Gary Marshall's "Runaway Bride" must be a curmudgeon. This harmless but hilarious romantic comedy about a bride with a chronic case of cold feet who abandons her men at the altar before van vow "I Do" reunites "Pretty Woman" co-stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere after a nine year hiatus. While the big city "Pretty Woman" tied the romantic knot between a lonely investment banker and a hot, awesome street walker of a babe, "Runaway Bride" retreats deep into the country to bring a gray-haired, chauvinistic USA Today columnist eyeball-to-eyeball with a flirtatious but fickle-minded maiden who owns a local hardware store. Aside from a couple of bittersweet moments, "Runaway Bride" emerges as luminous and lighthearted as Julia's radiant smile.

Although most of the comedy in "Bride" occurs in the small town of Hale, Maryland, this entertaining battle of the sexes opens in a cozy, New York City neighborhood bar where fast-talking cynic Ike Graham (Richard Gere of "Red Corner") is searching desperately for either something or somebody to skewer in his daily column. Ike loves to infuriate woman, and many of them take a whack at him on the street with his own newspaper as if he were a mangy mutt. After director Garry Marshall and co-scenarists Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott, who together wrote "Worth Winning" and "The Favor," establish that he is a last-minute journalist, Ike hears a story that he embellishes with his sarcastic wit. A jilted groom tells Kike about a hysterical dame in Maryland who accepts marriage proposals but skips out on the way to the altar at the last minute, catching a ride on truck or horse if either is available to make good her getaway.

Unfortunately, Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts of "Ocean's Twelve") compiles a laundry list of Ike's inaccuracies. This prompts Ike's ex-wife turned editor, Ellie (Rita Wilson of "The Story of Us"), to fire him. No sooner has poor Ike gotten sacked than Fisher (Hector Elizondo of "Valdez Is Coming"), Ike's good friend and a photographer that free-lances for GQ magazine, concocts revenge for our hero. If Ike can catch Maggie in flight from her next wedding, GQ will publish his story and Ike's reputation will be restored.

When Ike arrives in Hale, Maryland, a community so harmonious that the town's barbershop quartet performs regularly in public, Maggie is working on fiancé number four, Bob (Christopher Meloni of "Twelve Monkeys"), a high school football coach. Of course, Maggie wants nothing to do with Ike, but Ike isn't easily shunned. Initially, as a joke during his first interview with her, Maggie and her hairdresser friends dupe Ike and dye his mane the colors of the rainbow. Later, Ike cozies up with Maggie's family. Before long, he has the entire town eating out of his hand as he learns more about Maggie's dysfunctional lifestyle. Eventually, instead of hating one another, Ike and Maggie become attracted to each other, much to Bob's chagrin.

Hopelessly predictable as it is, "Runaway Bride" qualifies nevertheless as a lot of fun, especially if you're looking for a bright, infectiously funny comedy to lighten your mood.

This is one of the worst mainstream romcoms I've ever seen. The movie follows big city columnist Ike who writes a story about small town Maggie who's become a local legend for how many times she's run away from weddings leaving her groom to be at the alter. After Ike loses his job he goes to Maggie's home town to seek vindication and sparks supposedly begin to fly.

Runaway Bride is a bad movie. It has unlikable characters played by uninvested actors acting out an unbelievable premise in a chemistry free and toxic love story that honestly feels more stalkerish at first than like a genuine meet cute. The movie costs $70 Million none of which can be seen on the screen and its humor alternates between cringing Disney channel "wah wah" shenanigans to folks "oh gosh" small town type humor, and to rather creepy segments including a sequence where Ike obtains a topless photo of Maggie and won't give it back. I HATED this movie and wanted to throw my TV out the window after watching it. Joan Cusack however was enjoyable and what few laughs I did get came from her. She's an underrated actress.