Lake is a rather chilly and distinctly unpersuasive presence.
Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:2
Rotten:26
Average Rating:3.9/10
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Connie Doyle, a downtrodden, pregnant and abandoned young woman, sure could use a stroke of luck. Her big break occurs after a train wreck and a series of coincidences finds Connie in the hospital... Connie Doyle, a downtrodden, pregnant and abandoned young woman, sure could use a stroke of luck. Her big break occurs after a train wreck and a series of coincidences finds Connie in the hospital -- and at the center of a case of mistaken identity. That's because the rich, snooty Winterbourne clan believes that Connie is the wife of young Hugh Winterbourne, who died in the crash. At first, Connie intends to straighten out the matter. However, she quickly realizes that continuing the charade will leave her and her infant son financially secure for the rest of their lives. Can the down-to-earth Connie successfully play the role of being a snobby Winterbourne? To do so, she'll have to win over Hugh's brother Bill, who is highly suspicious of her true identity. And in the process, maybe they'll fall in love... [More]
Starring: Ricki Lake, Shirley MacLaine, Brendan Fraser, Loren Dean
Starring: Ricki Lake, Shirley MacLaine, Brendan Fraser, Loren Dean, Susan Haskell, Victor A. Young
Director: Richard Benjamin
Director: Richard Benjamin
Reviews for Mrs. Winterbourne
The brazen sentimentality at work here -- while effective in the context of what some might call "a chick flick"-- doesn't give the material much weight.
It would take a far defter comedic hand to successfully transform Woolrich's story from bleak and horrifying to warm and fuzzy.
While I can't help wondering how this movie might have turned out had the filmmakers stuck with Woolrich's noir vision, it's difficult to complain here.
Lake, in the central role, seems distracted and only nominally interested in what's going on around her.
This film mistakes action for energy, ridiculous circumstances for comedy, and a mismatched male/female pairing for romance.
Beware the hideous musical number, in which MacLaine and Lake attempt to sing "The Sunny Side of the Street".
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