"'Rumor' Doesn't Have It"
by Scott Mantz

"Rumor Has It…"
Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner
Directed by Rob Reiner

"Miss Aniston, you're trying to seduce me!" Kevin Costner makes a new friend in "Rumor Has It..."

I want to say one word to you, fellow movie lovers.  Just one word.  Are you listening?  Plastic.

Plastic is exactly how I would describe the predictable, contrived story, the stilted, wooden dialogue and some of the uninspired performances found in director Rob Reiner’s latest romantic comedy, “Rumor Has It…”. And given that the film has a terrific cast and a very funny premise that’s based on one of the greatest coming of age movies of all time, this lightweight Christmas Day release can’t be seen as anything other than a disappointment.

Jennifer Aniston – back in romantic comedy mode after her dramatic change of pace in the thriller “Derailed” – plays Sarah Huttinger, an aspiring journalist who’s having second thoughts about settling down with her nice-guy boyfriend, Jeff (Mark Ruffalo).   When she returns home to Pasadena, California, for her perky sister’s wedding, her acerbic grandmother Katharine (Shirley MacLaine) makes the shocking revelation that her late mother ran off with a mysterious man just days before her own marriage.  The story was a big rumor around town at the time.  But that rumor became a book, and the book became a landmark film – “The Graduate.”

Believing that the film is based on her own family, Sarah begins a frantic search for the young man who swept her mother off her feet.  She finds him in San Francisco – he’s now a famous internet billionaire named Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), and it doesn’t take long for her to become attracted to him.  But this just makes matters worse, as Sarah finds herself in the same position as her mother – does she stay with this adventurous, attractive, successful man, or does she run back to the arms of her best friend and the real, true love of her life?

The fact that “Rumor Has It…” falls short of its potential is not surprising, since it was plagued by rumors of its own during production.  Screenwriter Ted Griffin (credited here as T.M. Griffin) was in the midst of making his directorial debut, but director Rob Reiner soon replaced him when filming ran behind schedule.  Reiner is a fine director, thanks to pop cultural hits like “When Harry Met Sally…” and “A Few Good Men,” but by coming on board in the middle of production, he may not have had enough time to re-shape the material to suit his own sensibilities.

But even if he did, it’s hard to see how he would have been able to solve some of the film’s bigger problems.  Beyond the fact that many of today’s moviegoers may not be familiar enough with “The Graduate” to appreciate “Rumor’s” premise, Sarah is too neurotic and self-absorbed, and she totally over-reacts when she realizes that the classic movie was based on her family.  Her frantic reaction may have been due to the initial suspicion that Beau was her real father, but once it’s established that he’s not, she falls for him just a little too easily.  On one level, it makes her unlikable, and on another level, it’s just plain creepy.

That said, Aniston looks better than ever and fits back into her old comic persona like a comfy shoe.  She also holds her own against Oscar-winner Shirley MacLaine, who’s pitch-perfect as the Mrs. Robinson-based character and has the best lines in the film.  But otherwise, Kevin Costner breezes through his contrived romance with Aniston, while Mark Ruffalo basically recycles the same sensitive man-chick shtick he gave in “13 Going on 30” and “Just Like Heaven.”

Admittedly, “Rumor Has It…” has its moments, but not enough of them to justify its shortcomings.  It starts off okay, but it gets worse as it goes along, and I always felt like I was one step ahead of what was going to happen next.  But here’s where the film is truly a missed opportunity – by failing to effectively update and pay tribute to the voyage of self-discovery that made “The Graduate” such a watershed film, “Rumor Has It…” fails to honor its legacy.

Hello darkness, indeed.

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