This movie caught me by surprise. Everything about the story hangs heavy on Melissa Joan Hart...and she has just the right amount of charm and self-effacing humor to carry this outrageous (and obviously improbable) story.
It begins with Hart's character Trudy, preparing herself for a holiday with her parents, who are played wonderfully by Markie Post (who has brilliant comedic timing...since her "Night Court" days, you can sense she wants to break a more un-coventional sweet prude roles like her spin in "Theres Something About Mary") here she plays it for more frustrated means. A boiling pot, seethes before it explodes. She is runs on a time clock no one else can live up to. And Timothy Bottoms, whose ultra-conservative view points has him looking like George W. Seemed like he wants his daughters to take life more seriously, which is actually a great message, since most conservatives turn their mates into suffering housewives (refer back to Markie Post).
So Trudy works at a diner owned by a Hindu Indian. The odd characters prepare you for the attitude you MUST bring with you into this story (remember "Tremors"?...same director). Trudy has just been dumped by her boyfriend. You see the dude and we clearly see that he is everything her parents want. And not remotely sensible to her personality. Trudi's overbearing mother demands that she meet her mate. My guess, and is parroted, that they just hope she isn't a lesbian. She is publicly humiliated at the diner. And left in emotional pieces. Enter David Martin (played considerably low key by Mario Lopez). She kidnaps him an takes him on an adventure with his parents.
A similar story came to mind while I was watching this..."Buffalo 66". It was a harder edge version of this movie. And, it has an equally down-n-out character trying to live up to the expectation of overbearing parents during the holidays.
Trudy's buoyancy is so endearing you also wish for her to just do good with her life. You know she will find a way, even after this enormous twist of fate that has drawn these two people together.
Yes, it's sometimes cornball. Some moments get real serious. As when Trudy finally acknowledges David is not who he seems to be. Or when everyone reveals themselves. But the great touch of director Ron Underwood is that he never gets to the point where we can't have a laugh. Well-deserved laugh. The language and situations, if MPAA rated, probably would've given them a PG-13 rating. But...it's just so cutesy, you can't help yourself from liking all involved. These are sincere people. Yes, you know the ending, but it's a really good journey.
It begins with Hart's character Trudy, preparing herself for a holiday with her parents, who are played wonderfully by Markie Post (who has brilliant comedic timing...since her "Night Court" days, you can sense she wants to break a more un-coventional sweet prude roles like her spin in "Theres Something About Mary") here she plays it for more frustrated means. A boiling pot, seethes before it explodes. She is runs on a time clock no one else can live up to. And Timothy Bottoms, whose ultra-conservative view points has him looking like George W. Seemed like he wants his daughters to take life more seriously, which is actually a great message, since most conservatives turn their mates into suffering housewives (refer back to Markie Post).
So Trudy works at a diner owned by a Hindu Indian. The odd characters prepare you for the attitude you MUST bring with you into this story (remember "Tremors"?...same director). Trudy has just been dumped by her boyfriend. You see the dude and we clearly see that he is everything her parents want. And not remotely sensible to her personality. Trudi's overbearing mother demands that she meet her mate. My guess, and is parroted, that they just hope she isn't a lesbian. She is publicly humiliated at the diner. And left in emotional pieces. Enter David Martin (played considerably low key by Mario Lopez). She kidnaps him an takes him on an adventure with his parents.
A similar story came to mind while I was watching this..."Buffalo 66". It was a harder edge version of this movie. And, it has an equally down-n-out character trying to live up to the expectation of overbearing parents during the holidays.
Trudy's buoyancy is so endearing you also wish for her to just do good with her life. You know she will find a way, even after this enormous twist of fate that has drawn these two people together.
Yes, it's sometimes cornball. Some moments get real serious. As when Trudy finally acknowledges David is not who he seems to be. Or when everyone reveals themselves. But the great touch of director Ron Underwood is that he never gets to the point where we can't have a laugh. Well-deserved laugh. The language and situations, if MPAA rated, probably would've given them a PG-13 rating. But...it's just so cutesy, you can't help yourself from liking all involved. These are sincere people. Yes, you know the ending, but it's a really good journey.