That was an excellent one.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

To be honest, I originally watched this flick because of the title song -- I'm a huge Dino fan -- and I wondered what they did with his million seller...and they did fine...although I prefer the original arrangement. And it was nice to hear several other Dino songs in the soundtrack.But after I heard his song as the opening, I stuck around and discovered a very nice romantic comedy, and one well worth watching.I'm not a David Duchovny fan at all, but he does very nicely here as the husband (though his crying looked a little silly). I think it was in this film that I discovered Minnie Driver, the recipient of the heart transplant...wow, what an actress, and the very picture of loveliness. It was nice to see Carroll O'Connor in what was his last film, as the father of Driver; be prepared...he seems very old here...deteriorating health had caught up with him...and he lived only another year. I have always enjoyed performances by Robert Loggia, and no less so here...as the family friend and chef. Bonnie Hunt, as always, lends something positive to any production. I was going to write that I never understood why David Alan Grier hadn't caught on, since I've always enjoyed him...but when I looked him up again I discovered he's very active and successful on Broadway. The rest of the cast is very pleasant and enjoyable...even Sidney! It's difficult to find much in this film that deserves criticism. There are a few places where they could have picked the pace up just a bit, but that's just about the only negative comment I have. It's a good love story. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'll start by confessing that I generally regard romantic comedy as one of the most dishonest, cynical genres in Hollywood filmmaking, because so many of them follow the same precalculated formula: set up some cockeyed premise and then employ a series of outlandish plot devices to manipulate the audience's emotions in precisely calibrated ways from first frame to last. I approached this one with especially low expectations because of the brazenly contrived gimmick at its core (a grieving young widower unwittingly falls in love with the recipient of his beloved wife's transplanted heart) and its male lead, David Duchovny. I enjoyed Duchovny's tongue-in-cheek performance in the X-Files despite the fact that I never thought he could act a lick. The idea of him as romantic lead in a situation like this had me dreading an afternoon wasted.Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a terrific movie that deftly avoids over-exploiting its basic plot device, instead telling its story in honest, affectionately rendered details and relying on the team play of a marvelously unselfish cast, each of whom is given a turn to shine (even the bit players). Each actor takes full advantage of their opportunities without attempting to upstage the others. One of the things I enjoyed most was how comfortable and familiar the cast are with one another; the whole movie works because of it. The result is characters and a story line that draw you in and make you feel like you know the people involved - and better yet, that they really know and care for one another in the casually intimate way that only the closest-knit friends and families can. This is wonderful ensemble acting led by a director with a light but capable touch. Even Duchovny manages to hold his own among much better actors, delivering some surprisingly earnest scenes and painting his character with appealing honesty and humility.This isn't a perfect movie. It has a slightly TVish feel and there are predictable moments and flat notes here and there, but an ample supply of small delights make up for it ("What was God thinking?"). The strength of this movie is in its performances, and in the decision of the writers and director Bonnie Hunt to establish the initial premise, then let go of it and concentrate on fleshing out well-drawn relationships between engaging characters we can identify with and care about.If you liked "50 First Dates" with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, you'll love this. Much broader in its appeal than your standard romcom chick flick, this is a warm, satisfying story about the lifesaving power of love and family.

On a rainy night, Chicago architect David Duchovny (as Bob Rueland) loses his beloved wife to a car accident. Meanwhile, bedridden artist Minnie Driver (as Grace Briggs) hovers near death, desperately needing a heart transplant. As you might imagine, Ms. Driver receives the heart belonging to Mr. Duchovny's dying wife. After a period of mourning, veterinarian pal David Alan Grier (as Charlie Johnson) tries to get Mr. Duchovny to date shallow, mouthy women. While on a funny double date (thanks to Holly Wortell), Duchovny meets Driver. The two have an instant, magical attraction...Driver is a waitress at the Italian bar/restaurant run by Irish grandfather Carroll O'Connor (as Marty O'Reilly) and Italian brother-in-law Robert Loggia (as Angelo Pardipillo). With elderly pals Eddie Jones and Wally Jatczak, they discuss how singers Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra differed in beating others; the former took a more "hands on" approach. This was notably the last appearance for Mr. O'Connor, best known for his long-running TV role as lovable bigot "Archie Bunker". Writer/director Bonnie Hunt (as Megan) and loud-mouthed James Belushi (as Joe Dayton) provide additional support.This is what they call a "chick flick", with Ms. Hunt and "The X-Files" star Duchovny offering distaff viewers a dreamy leading man; he's handsome, well-built, romantic, masculine, sensitive, straight and sexy......and his hair is Perfect.***** Return to Me (4/7/00) Bonnie Hunt ~ David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, Carroll O' Connor, Bonnie Hunt

If you can relate to Grace's insecurity about showing her scar and Bob finding out about her transplant - then you've probably had an open heart surgery and gone on a few dates! Personally I've had a few heart surgeries and - while I wouldn't wait THAT long to tell someone, I know the feeling of... "I'm going on a first date, it's not quite time to reveal the heart issue... what to wear??..." I thought this movie was a really sweet, if slightly too ironically perfect. Throwing in major heart surgery as a hitch in a romantic comedy plot is certainly not a twist that has been done in movies many times! Before this movie I had never seen a person in a movie with a sternotomy scar who wasn't in a hospital - it was really cool! While it's not an Oscar worthy film, I've always liked Minnie Driver as an actress, I love Chicago, and the content was "close to my heart" so that made the movie better.If you've struggled with the challenges of congenital heart disease - including but not limited to, "Do I hide my scar?" and "How do I tell people who don't know?!," The Adult Congenital Heart Association is a great resource: www.achaheart.org. Maybe if Grace had known about it she would have told Bob a little sooner, been more confident and not felt the need to always cover up! At least she would have realized that she - and her mother - were not alone!