Good start, but then it gets ruined

Admirable film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Since childhood, the ingenious, hopelessly romantic Faith Corvatch has dreamed of finding her soulmate.She consults a Ouija Board to learn his name (which the contraption claims is DAMON BRADLEY), and later even goes to a fortuneteller to have his existence confirmed.But, as time wears on, her hope of finding him fades to nothing, and so she settles for a Pediatrist, and is a week away from marrying him when something incredible happens...While trying on her wedding gown in the company of her best friend, and sister in law, Kate (Bonnie Hunt), Faith gets a telephone call from a man claiming to be an associate of the man she's about to marry. He's at the airport leaving for Venice, and could Faith please take a message.His name? Damon Bradley.In a mad dash, Faith drops everything, and rushes to the airport (wedding gown, and all), where she finds Damon's airplane just taking off.She has never seen him in the flesh, and has no idea what he looks like.Convinced, however, that he is her destiny, she follows him to Venice, taking Kate with her, only to find that he has checked out of his expensive hotel, and has apparently gone to Rome.In Rome, the two exhausted women learn the name of the restaurant he will be dining that evening.They go. Eagerly. Only to find themselves losing him again...then finding him in the form of a handsome, young stranger (played by Robert Downey Jr.) who claims to be Damon Bradley.Faith loses consciousness, only to be revived again in the arms of the man she believes is her one true love.They have a magical evening (indeed it looks like Faith might really have been right), until the man reveals -quite reluctantly- that his isn't Damon Bradley, that his name is Peter Wright, and that his motive for lying about his identity sprung from his being captivated by the sudden appearance of the beautiful Faith.Furious, Faith rejects him, dismissing their brief romantic interlude (which Peter believes was real) as being the product of a manipulation.She resumes her feverish search for Damon Bradley, vowing never to see or speak to Peter again.Peter, desperate, quickly finds a way to stay close to Faith...by finding Damon Bradley.Now it's up to destiny to decide how this will end.Marisa Tomei is radiant in this role. I have rarely seen a more luminous performance by her.Robert Downey Jr. is great.Bonnie Hunt is perfect, as is the rest of the supporting cast.Director Norman Jewison (In The Heat Of The Night), does an outstanding job with this movie. I don't think a lesser director could've done as good a job.It's warm, it's romantic, it's original, and it's fresh.Glowingly confirming that there are forces out there that are greater than ourselves.Originally, Review #155Posted On: January 4, 2012

There's not really that much to say about this film. The highlights: Marisa Tomei is adorable, as is Bonnie Hunt. RDJ is his charming self, and he picks out some flowers and picks out accessories and shoes for Marisa. The lowlights: pretty much everything else.

I first caught this movie late one night on TV. I fell in love with the characters and the beautiful Italian setting immediately! Marisa Tomei is on fine form as the beautiful Faith, convinced that everyone has a soulmate and that destiny will bring them together in the end. Bonnie Hunt plays a wonderful supporting role as her sister-in-law Kate, who stands by her friend and follows her to Italy when Faith becomes obsessed with finding her "true soulmate", Damon Bradley, after receiving a call from him in which he told her he would not be able to attend her upcoming wedding to her fiancée. A young Faith had been told by both an Ouija Board and a fortune teller that "Damon Bradley" was her soulmate. When searching for Damon in Italy, Faith (literally) bumps into Peter Wright (Downey Jr) a shoe salesman, who becomes instantly enamored by Faith and tells her that he is Damon. They spend a wonderfully romantic evening together, before he confesses that he is not who he claimed to be. She is disgusted, and immediately goes back to her search for Damon. The rest of the film involves Faith on a mission to find Damon Bradley with Kate and Peter's help, and takes them all on a journey they never expected. This is a gorgeous, romantic little movie and well worth a look. I can't recommend it enough.

What could be more wonderful than this? Everything about it is right. What intrigues me most is the mystery as to why Diane Drake, who wrote this and the equally wonderful film 'What Women Want', has never written any other film. And who is she? She must be a very shy creature indeed, hiding her talents away in some burrow or nest somewhere, emerging only on two occasions to delight us with these magnificent scripts. With this one, the inimitable Norman Jewison was on hand to use his well-honed directorial talents to produce the ultimate feel-good film. The casting is perfect. Who could be cuter and more engaging than Marisa Tomei at this age? She has a personality uniquely her own, which is so rare in this age of starlet clones. Every film she appears in glows with her special presence. The leading man, Robert Downey, Junior, is her perfect match. Bonnie Hunt as Marisa Tomei's sister-in-law is the perfect support, such a well-judged performance in every way. The comedic timing is perfect, the lightness of touch is there, it all works. When so many attempts at comedy fail by trying too hard, this all gives the impression of being effortless. The story is magical, and so funny: a childhood 'spirit message' giving the name of Damon Bradley to an eleven year-old girl that he would be her soul-mate and husband when she grew up. So fourteen years later, she sets out on a madcap search for him in Italy, with beautiful shots of Venice, Rome, and Positano to enrich the adventure. One has to keep in mind that this film was made in 1994, before the internet existed. I have just done a search on switchboard.com and there are fifteen Damon Bradleys listed in the USA. That would have ruined the story, as it takes all the mystery away. The girl would simply have looked them all up and worked her way through them, not nearly so romantic as a wild and hilarious adventure in Italy. So thank God for the past, or we would not have had this wonderful film. And this bring us to this consideration: just how much magic has been taken out of our lives by having too much information available too quickly? (The fact that it is in an undigested form makes it so much worse.) Do we know too much, and thereby understand too little? Immersing ourselves in this delightful film can remind us of what life was almost like, just a little while ago, or would have been like, if we were Robert Downey and Marisa Tomei perhaps.