Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) is a level-headed business man who goes to Las Vegas to supervise a dance club being built, where he runs into Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek). Isabel is an ambitious, young Mexican-american woman who believes in fate, and who is striving to become a professional photographer. They meet outside a bathroom (oh, how romantic...sarcasm intended folks) and end up spending a night together.
A few months later, Isabel shows up on Alex's doorstep, announcing that she is pregnant, and that she is deciding to keep the baby, whether he likes it or not. Alex, being the respectable man that he is, decides that getting married is the best thing to do. Everything goes smoothly, until after the honeymoon, when the reality kicks in. This is the best kind of romance out there, the real kind.
Although I like them, there are just too many fairytale romance films out there that focus too much on issues such as, "What man should I marry?" rather than realistic obstacles like, "Should I keep the baby?" These two issues may be equally described as a dilemma, however which one of these is most likely the more serious and practical situation? (When a baby is involved, it's always more serious.) Fools Rush In also reveals the difficulties couples go through when entering a marriage with two different backgrounds, and most of all, two different lives. Isabel wants them both to live in Las Vegas, where her family is near, while Alex has it on good authority that they will both raise the baby in New York City...where his favorite hot dogs are. :) Other situations include their religious preferences and arguments such as "a Presbyterian is not a religion!"
Yes, this film is a tear-jerker. What romance isn't? The audience knows that the couple belongs together, and that they love each other, yet they never seem to connect! This is the kind of substance that sobs like me eat right up. Salma Hayek performs quite well as Isabel, and it is indeed no doubt that she will be playing the female lead again on the silver screen soon. As for Matthew Perry, he looks as though he has no trouble playing the character of Alex Whitman--since Perry's role in the hit tv-series Friends, Chandler, is also conveyed as the cute corporate type. It makes me wonder if Matthew will ever get out of playing the adorable, prudent type...re-runs of sitcoms such as Growing Pains and Just The Ten of Us excluded. :) Fools Rush In is a charming love story of two star-crossed lovers, who each live on the other side of the tracks. No, this is not another rendition of Romeo and Juliet ! However, I do find that both these films contain fools. Fools that definitely rush in.
Cast/Credits:
Matthew L. Perry .... Alex Whitman
Salma Hayek .... Isabel Fuentes Jon Tenney .... Jeff
Carlos Gomez .... Chuy
Tomas Milian .... Tomas Siobhan Fallon .... Lanie
John Bennett Perry .... Richard
Stanley DeSantis .... Judd Marshall
Anne Betancourt .... Amalia
Suzanne Snyder .... Catherine Stewart
Jill Clayburgh .... Nan
Directed By: Andy Tennant
Written By: Joan Taylor and Katherine Reback
Produced By: Anna Maria Davis, Doug Draizin, Michael McDonnell and Steven P. Saeta
