It is most important that the film transcends any of the actors involved because, in a mirror of the industry politics laid bare in the movie's plot, America's Sweethearts threatens to become identified as a movie appropriate of any of the given stars' careers. Most obviously, it comes dangerously close to becoming a "Julia Roberts movie," and subsequently suffering from the comparison, but Ms. Roberts surprisingly manages to stay in the background for most of the movie.

      This is a substantial accomplishment for both the actress and the movie, for it lends a new light to Julia Roberts' talents, and it clears the way for the rest of the movie -- plot and actors. Roberts plays Kiki Harrison, sister and personal assistant to Hollywood megastar Gwen Harrison (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Gwen's marriage to fellow megastar Eddie Thomas (John Cuasck) led to some of the most successful box office hits of the day, as well as widespread public appeal -- the only problem is that Gwen and Eddie's marriage is at an end, and has been since Gwen began an affair with an muscled, impassioned Hispanic actor, Hector (Hank Azaria). Despite this, though, Eddie and Gwen have one final film to promote, at the behest of their publicist, Lee (Billy Crystal), and at the requirement of the film's reclusive director, Hal Weidman (Christopher Walken).

      It is, in fact, Billy Crystal who steals the show in this feast of A-list talent, but there has hardly ever been such a thing as a "Billy Crystal movie" and America's Sweethearts certainly isn't one, either. Crystal simply knows how to blend a mix of subtly, sly humor and clever dialogue, often mixing a witty line with a twinkle in his eye. He plays the publicist Lee perfectly, contrasting the bright wattage of such stars as Roberts and Zeta-Jones with an understated performance, and one that is most certainly welcome. With so many top-billed stars, the film might've become sickeningly sweet (as was the case with Roberts' last film, The Mexican), but Crystal keeps things in check.

      Which might be because Crystal co-wrote the script for Sweethearts with Peter Tolan, who previously worked with Crystal on 1999's Analyze This. And while Tolan has been hard at work over the last few years, this is Crystal's first screenplay since 1995's Forget Paris -- but the pair make a perfect team. Their story and script keep things moving along, and always with a witty line or laughable scene just around the corner. One of their more enjoyable strokes are the fictional films conjured up for Eddie and Gwen to star in -- the movies mostly resemble the egregious B-movies of the sixties and seventies, but more importantly, they serve to highlight some of the more outrageous productions that Hollywood has thrown together over the last few years.

      The script does ignore the talents of John Cusack, who is at his best with an extremely witty, extremely sharp script, such as those for Grosse Pointe Blank or High Fidelity, and the script for America's Sweethearts is not nearly on that level. Indeed, the rag for Sweethearts is more "cute," than "witty," especially because the bulk of the story involves a blossoming love between Eddie and Gwen's sister Kiki.

      Where the film fails to show off the talents of John Cusack, though, it does showcase the abilities of actors like Catherine Zeta-Jones (who, despite having been on something of a downward slide since 1998's The Mask of Zorro, plays Gwen with a deliciously evil twist) and Hank Azaria. The rest of the actors included, though, seem to be enjoying themselves -- this is an actor's delight, a film in which every scene is lighthearted and relatively simple, requiring no great effort.

      But such is a description for America's Sweethearts on the whole. It is both lighthearted and heartwarming, an enjoyable movie which, aware of Hollywood's flaws, exposes them and exploits them to the delight of what should surely be receptive audiences. This is by no means an outstanding film (it's actually something of an "autopilot" venture), but it certainly is one that can be appreciated by any viewer as a cut above most.

Craig Roush, 2001