This movie was made for Sandra Bullock. I cannot imagine anyone else so perfect for this role. Ms. Bullock may not be thrilled about it but her best films are when she plays what seems to come natural for her and that is the cute and cuddly type. Meg Ryan's had a pretty good career being typecast like this so maybe its not that bad of an image?

This movie begins with a little girl with her Dad. Narrated by Lucy Moderatz,(Sandra Bullock) she says her Dad told her "life doesnt always turn out the way we plan", she thinks that he meant "her life" more specifically.

Lucy Moderatz, (Sandra Bullock), is a very lonely girl, both her parents have passed away, she has no romance in her life, she works a job that seems drab. What Lucy does have is spirit though. She actually has a huge Christmas tree in her little apartment and we see her decorating it. She may be lonely but she doesn't let it diminish her hopes for a brighter day, and trying to make the best of the moment.

Because she is alone, her boss, Jerry Wallace (Jason Bernard), thinks she is the perfect candidate to ask once again to work Christmas. He tries to be tricky about it but she sees through him and knows it is because she is alone and everyone else has family and friends to spend the holidays with.

Lucy agrees to work and its good she does because this day will change her entire life.

Lucy has been day dreaming about the good looking man that comes in to the train station regularly, she wants to just have the opportunity to talk to him, because in her mind he is her destiny. Lucy has created the perfect man with this stranger in the role of her soul mate in her wonderful fantasy life.

When he comes in to ride the train that day after buying his ticket he is mugged and left for dead on the train tracks.

Lucy heroically runs to his defense pulling him off the tracks, just in time to prevent it from being fatal.

The man, Peter Callahan, (Peter Gallagher)is rushed to the hospital and after a mix up the hospital staff mistakes her for his fiance.

Once she allows this misunderstanding to develop she is swept up in the warmth of this family. Peters Dad, Ox, (Peter Boyle) is happy that Peter finally got himself a nice girl and dumped the stuck up one, his Mother, Midge (Micole Mercurio) is happy, and the Grandmother (Glynnis Jones) is pleased with Peters choice also. They are the perfect family.

Lucy knows the right thing to do is to tell them the truth but, a family friend, Saul (Jack Warden), convinces her to allow the lie to stand for now as she has given hope to the family and they cannot stand for anything more upsetting to happen.

So against her better judgment Lucy goes along with this.

The family instantly loves Lucy (everyone loves Lucy after all) they invite her to spend a belated Christmas with them, and tell her this will be a good time for her to meet Jack (Bill Pullman), Peter's brother. She agrees because they are so insistent, but upon arriving to their beautiful home she gets caught up in the feeling of having a family again.

Their home is the kind that almost everyone that celebrates Christmas would want to spend the holidays in. A beautiful North Eastern style home, large, painted white, with a wrap around porch, decorated with Christmas lights, holly, a plastic Santa Claus, complete with snow all around the yard. How could anyone say no to this?

It is understandable how Lucy gets tempted to carry on her charade.

Jack finally shows up for the holiday. Jack is of a suspicious nature. He thinks Lucy is not his brothers usual choice in women. He is right about that. It seems Peter likes the socialite, cold fish, model type. Lucy is none of those things.

Jack makes it his goal to find out about Lucy. He follows her, ask her probing questions, pretending he just wants to get to know his brothers fiance. But Lucy is on to him and knows he is "just questioning the perp".

Trouble for Jack is Lucy seems to have all the answers. Her infatuation with Peter has paid off. She recalls many details about Peter that only someone very close to him would know, and hopes this will convince Jack.

A sideline of the story is Joe Junior,(Michael Rispoli) the single available son of Lucys landlord. He pursues Lucy without even the slightest sign of encouragement. This is so true to life. It seems every single girl I have known has had a Joe Junior in pursuit of her at one time or another.

Joe Junior, is very funny and this character is not just the usual undesirable in pursuit of a girl that isn't interested in him, he is a caring, but unpolished sort, that has a way with words that ruins any opportunities for him to actually get a date.

When Lucy continues to let her relationship with the coma patient bloom the movie takes a lot of funny twist. When Lucy tells her boss that she is still involved with Peter, and mentions that she still hasn't actually met him since he is still in a coma, but she loves his family, her boss tells her "your born into a family Lucy, you don't join one like the Marines".

I dont want to give anymore of this wonderful movie away. But in conclusion I would like to say that the entire cast does a great job.

Bill Pullman is great as Jack. He is suspicious, confrontational at times but yet he is adorable, and deep down likes Lucy.

When Jack plays cards with Peter while he is still in the coma and confides his true feelings to him, its realistic and very touching. A real brother to brother moment.

In closing I would like to add that there is nothing in this movie that is unsuitable for children at all, but smaller children probably won't be interested in it.

This movie could be viewed as a date film (even a first date), and in front of your parents (for example if your parents are easily shocked they won't find any real shocking moments here)..now thats different. It is only rated PG and somehow it manages to be one of the funniest, romantic movies, made in the last few years. How did they do that?

I watch plenty of R rated movies, and enjoy a good action movie, and expect bad language to be in such movies, but I also enjoy a good high quality movie that keeps to its PG rating so that I can recommend it to my young nieces to watch.

There is no bad language, nudity, or serious violence (the mugging of Peter is brief and not detailed), at all in this movie. Good choice for a rental for young teens girls, that you may not allow to see half the new movies that are available for rental but, probably were too young when this movie originally came out to appreciate it.

Conclusion: "Dreams can come true if you don't let your fantasies get in the way"






Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older