Product Details

• Actors: Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hank Azaria
• Directors: Joe Roth
• Writers: Billy Crystal, Peter Tolan
• Producers: Billy Crystal, Allegra Clegg, Bruce A. Block, Charles Newirth, Donna Roth
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: March 26, 2002
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CY5F
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,211 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

America's Sweethearts is just the kind of romantic froth that makes for pleasant viewing on a lazy, rainy day. While Julia Roberts, John Cusack, and Catherine Zeta-Jones offer high-wattage marquee value, costar and cowriter Billy Crystal reworks Singin' in the Rain for latter-day Hollywood, where estranged superstars Gwen (Zeta-Jones) and Eddie (Cusack) reluctantly promote their latest movie by pretending their messily disputed relationship is still going strong. The studio chief (Stanley Tucci) is desperate for a hit, so he hires a seasoned publicist (Crystal) to orchestrate a press junket that will cast everyone in a profitable light. The catch: The director (Christopher Walken) has abducted his own film in an act of artistic extortion, and Gwen's sister and longtime assistant Kiki (Roberts) is the true object of Eddie's desire.

Chaos ensues at the luxury hotel where the junket is scheduled, and America's Sweethearts pokes easy fun at the cynical machinery that keeps Hollywood running. Quotable quips are delivered in abundance, and while Zeta-Jones is readily convincing as a bitchy narcissist, Roberts effortlessly steals the show with her trademark charms. All of which makes America's Sweethearts lightly entertaining, even though it never rises (like Roberts's earlier Notting Hill) to the level of classic romantic comedy, hampered by a script that too often substitutes easy laughs for ripe satirical invention, flashing a phony grin when it should be baring its fangs. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

Though set in the present, this movie-industry farce, written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan and directed by Joe Roth, comes off as a lamely nostalgic attempt at screwball comedy. It's puckish and remote: the filmmakers, lacking the heart to confront the Hollywood of today, never achieve any kind of vital satirical tone. John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones play a married couple who have starred in picture after picture together but have fallen out of love. Julia Roberts is a Cinderella figure who loses weight and blooms after years of servitude. As ersatz as the role is, Roberts fires up that smile and becomes the best thing in the movie. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars America's Sweethearts, April 4, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America's Sweethearts (DVD)

Many people have given this movie horrible reviews, but I really enjoyed it. The cast is what made this movie wonderful. Catherine Zeta-Jones played the prima dona over the top, and it really worked. Billy Crystal is as always delightful. Christopher Walken always seems to play some kind of dark character, but maybe that is because he is so good at it. I was surprised how much I liked Julia Roberts and John Cusack together. They had great chemistry, and were just so natural together.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars America's hottest couple just got hotter, May 1, 2005

By 

Danielle Muller "Shulamith" (Sailing, sailing o'er the deep blue sea :)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America's Sweethearts (DVD)

I'm afraid I don't understand all the bad reviews this movie has gotten. America's Sweethearts is not your everday romance. Where John Cusack is trying to get over the infidility of his ex wife and coworker, while realizing that he has been harboring feelings for her sister. Who has loved him all her life, but was left in the shadow and wake of her star sister.

Its a movie of finding your true self, and that love if looked for can heal even the most despairing of hearts. In a comical way, having Billy Crystal as Cupid, the man who only wanted to make the couple famous, and ended up giving John Cusack the world.

This was a wonderful movie, romantic, sweet and comical. If you love Billy Crystal, John Cusack or Julia Roberts this will be sure to please.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars America's Sweethearts Is Fine, But We've Seen It All Before, November 9, 2001

By 

Barry "Barrybgb" - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Sweethearts (DVD)

With every romantic comedy that Julia Roberts comes out with, you
pretty much already know what it's going to be like and how it's going to end. Well, surprise ! surprise!, this one is no different than any of the others. We've seen this movie done a hundred million times before, and better, but it is still a decent, pleasant little film. Billy Crystal(who also wrote), stars as a publicist who tries to bring a seperated superstar Hollywood couple back together again for the premiere of their new movie. Catherine Zeta Jones and John Cusack are the bickering exes. Julia Roberts is Catherine's once overweight(Ha!) sister. Naturally, Roberts and Cusack begin eyeing each other and realize what was there in front of them this whole time. Are you shocked?. Uh, no. The movie isn't as over the top and screwball as it could've(and should've)been. There a number of good scenes and solid laughs. But, sadly, they don't come often enough. Crystal himself gets many of the best jokes. If you were the writer, wouldn't you write yourself some good doozies?. Seth(I'm Everywhere)Green also shows up as Crystal's assistant. The best part of the whole cast is Christopher Walken, who plays the new film's eccentric, oddball character. Chris Walken playing an eccentric oddball?. Get outta here!. He also has one of the film's best gags involving the unabomber's old wood shack. All in all, this is a nice, slickly produced film. It's been done before, but, if you like these kinds of movies, then it's pretty nice. Not bad, but not great. Julia Roberts would be wise to steer clear of romantic comedies for a while. Cusack is a stand out. I gave it three stars, but it's more like two and a half stars.