Customer Reviews

It Had to Be You

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I read all the reviews of this movie before writing mine. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I've watched it at least 50 times and it makes me cry each time. I know, I'm a hopeless romatic and probably a total fool, but this movie is so sweet. I think Michael Vartan (!!) and Natasha Henstridge have chemistry that works in this movie. I also like the subplot of Henry and Tracy and them not knowing their best friends are the ones who are getting married to people they are not suited for. Maybe the writing and editing are poor, I'm not educated to comment in that area, but the movie is funny in many parts, depicting typical New York snobs such as the salesperson at Bulgari. The fact that they fall in love during the weekend they are both planning their weddings to other people is a fun twist. They do "the right thing" by not being together until they break up with their respective intendeds. Unlike most real life. Maybe love at first sight isn't smart or lasting or whatever, but remember - IT'S A MOVIE! It's for entertainment value, and I feel entertained each time I watch it. I like the music and wish I could find the soundtrack to buy. I have watched this movie with two of my guy friends, and both of them cried, although not as much as I did. The part that always gets me is at the end when they are in the park, pretending to fly to Europe and then she says she can't do it. Notice the look on Michael's face as the camera fades away...then the song..."have you ever loved somebody so much it made you cry?" Yes, I have. Yes, I do. Enjoy this movie for what it is, fun, romantic, with a (thankfully) happy ending.

I can't get enough of this guy! Why he doesn't get more work I'll never know. The scene in the park, when both have eyes closed and he says "Come with me" and takes her hand.....I melted like ice cream on a hot day! Takes me back to my favorite scene in "Moonstruck (Deluxe Edition)" during the opera. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I felt it needed a "love scene." It would have given me a chance to see Vartan with his shirt off! Final words: it ended with my favorite song! If you've ever been in love, you HAVE to see this movie.

This is the second film I've seen where Vartan is the leading man. He again completely delivers and is probably this film's greatest joy. The plot is nothing earth shattering but it is a good vehicle for him. He checks into a hotel to plan his wedding and meets a woman who is there to do the same. Problem is that they are both scheduled to marry two rich but total sharks in the corporate world. She is a teacher and he is a policeman on leave of absence for a failed hostage negotiation. So they are really not in synch with their intendeds. Thus, they start falling in love with one another as they plan to wed these two other people. There is also a cute supporting role couple, the best friends of each of the leads. I really enjoyed it.

I thought this was a throw back to the old days. I enjoyed being able to watch the film with my kids who are teenagers and my wife and not have to feel uncomfortable about the typical bathroom humor you find filmmakers lowering themselves to do inorder to get a cheap life. It was a touching little film, fun moments and it sent a nice message. Mostly what I enjoyed was the fact that even in a genre that has been done a thousand times the writer thought of a unique way to bring the two stars (Natasha Henstridge and Michael Vartan) back together at the end. If you are not a cynical person you will love this film ... if you are I suggest renting one of those teem movies that have toilet jokes, sight gags and charachters that don't exsist in real life.

While I enjoy the romantic comedy genre, the script for this film plods and the story is so predictable that it actually was a bit tedious. That's not to say that the romantic aspects of the film aren't also enjoyable, because I did enjoy the film -- it just took me about 5 times to sit through the DVD. Michael Vartan from the Alias TV series fame has been in several romantic comedies like "Never Been Kissed" (1999) & "Monster-in-Law" w/ Jane Fonda & Jennifer Lopez (2005). Vartan is an interesting actor. Born in Paris, he began his early film career in French-speaking films. He has a charming boyish sincerity that plays well, even in this DVD. Natasha Henstridge came to attention in the Species series where she played in all three of those movies as well as in "The Whole Ten Yards" & "Bounce." The plot is predictable with the two fiancees each planning their weddings solo & then discovering that they've fallen in love. Olivia d'Abo, who is the daughter of Michael a'Abo from the rock band Manfred Mann, plays Vartan's wealthy fiancee that eventually gets dumped. The coincidences in the movie are a bit too numerous, pointing like neon signs to the ending where Vartan's Charlie Hudson & Henstridge's Anna Penn fall in love. This is a nice evening's entertainment, particularly if you really enjoy the romantic comedy genre. While Vartan & Henstridge do well enough, they still can't surmount the material. Enjoy!

I've read thousands of books and seen hundreds maybe even over a thousand movies. There are classics to be sure, but only a few basic plots, most of which surprise us only when we're very young and just starting life's journey. (Everything else is a twist or variation on one of life's themes and plots.) I know which books and movies are classics for me. This one is not a classic but a variation, but it's TOTALLY enjoyable.

I've gotten to the age where reading is more problematical than watching movies, so I choose the latter. Something I've observed is that restrained behavior, as that between our hero and heroine, can be just as exciting and satisfying, perhaps more so, as actual physical, explicit lovemaking, which incidentally is usually done rather poorly on screen because most of the time actors are faking it. I don't find restraint in this film to be a fault.

So much takes place in the minds and hearts of the characters in this film ... but, even in one weekend, one can see signs on the faces of the lead actors that things are happening with this couple that lead to an outcome neither had intended in the beginning. Doubts about their impending marriages were already there, but it took a chance meeting to begin to bring those doubts to the fore. Hesitancy, shyness, fear of rejection or something else resulted in their not getting in touch with each other for a year. So what if the circumstance that ultimately brings them together is sort of predictable, their reunion is still wonderfully sweet and real.

These are actors who use their craft to work from their interior beings, emotions and thoughts, to express what is inside in a visible yet subtle way. They do not go over the top, constantly overacting, overdoing, which is one way of acting quite prevalent today, perhaps because the teenage public (the majority of moviegoers, so I'm told) want that kind of drama or comedy. Who among us has ever experienced something like "The Wedding Crashers," a way-over-the-top film if there ever was one?

I liked "It Had to Be You" because it was warm, sweet, funny, perhaps even because it was predictable in its ultimate outcome (maybe because chance has played such a large part in friendships and love in my own life).

I had never seen Michael Vartan before and was very impressed with how he made the most of the slightly pedestrian script ... genuine, sincere, restrained, seemingly at the beginning not so much a man in love as one resigned to the course of events to which he was committed. Natasha Henstridge had even a more difficult character to portray ... someone who at the beginning is a constricted person who has yet to know herself, is waiting to come out as the funny, fun-loving person she really is. That part of herself begins to emerge in the two days she and Michael Vartan's character spend together. He realizes fully how he feels about her and cancels his plans, but she cancels her plans without quite knowing what she feels toward him. At the end and after a year there is a catalyst that does what any good literary catalyst does (I won't spoil this for those who don't want to know the ending before they see it on screen).

This is an entertaining film, not a deliberate attempt at making a movie classic. It can be enjoyed in the company of any member of the family of any age who can forego a preference for horror, sci-fi and fantasy for an hour and a half. Perhaps it could have been better if the production values of a high budget film had been applied. But there would be, even then, professional critics, even some of our other part-time opinionators, who tell us of its shortcomings. I prefer to be influenced by my fellow movie watchers who have enjoyed something ... because I'm one of them, and though my tastes can be just as refined and highbrow as anyone else's at times, I love both mashed potatoes and Lyonnaise potatoes.

I just rented this for 99cents, expecting this to be some corny, silly movie, probably with people lying or deceiving one another (which is so common in movies lately)in order to fall in love, yet I was so surprised to find a very sweet, serious, romantic movie - not alot of comedy, but that was fine. I thought the characters were great - their personalities fit there actions - it wasn't a "You've got Mail" but I don't think they were going for the "Romantic Comedy" necessarily. Just a clean, sweet, honest movie. I really appreciated that they got together without dishonesty. Oh, yes, it had two love stories in it -- that even made it better!! I loved it... enuf to buy it!!! I think I like it equally as much as "You've Got Mail."

In addition to the scene mentioned by another reviewer (where Charlie's fiance says 'make love to me' and she removes her dress and gets on top of him (he is fully clothed) in her underwear, there is another scene where Anna's friend is trying on dresses and after she removes a dress she faces the camera in her underwear.
In addition to these two scenes, Charlie's best friend is an alcoholic, who says he spends almost every night at a bar (he announces he is sober by the end of the movie)and there are many scenes where alcohol is consumed, both at bars and restaurants.
There are also times of saying the Lord's name in vain- I cannot recall if there is any swearing though. There are other references to sex (beyond the first item mentioned).
Finally, near the end of the movie there is a scene which might be scary for children- it is of a young girl on the ledge of a building who is contemplating suicide because her parents are divorcing. She does not go through with it though because Charlie talks her out of it.

I wanted to include a note for parents.

The movie is OK for kids except for one scene. Claire takes off her dress to reveal a black bra and black bikini panties and jumps on top of David. The scene is shot especially showing Claire's behind. It's a brief scene, but I wish I'd known it was in the movie for the sake of kids.

I saw this movie on the television and I just had to buy the DVD. I am such a sucker for romantic movies like this because we all know that in real life, do you think such a thing will ever happen to all of us? Anyway, this is the sort of movie which you want to watch over and over again with your girl friends and be in tears together. Yes, I was in tears during that Central Park scene when she parted from him. And... Michael Vartan.... I am totally in love with him. A true romantic leading man! Yes, this movie is predictable! yes, it is corny! Yes, it is such a fairy tale but you still have to watch it!!! it will just melt your heart away. This movie is up there in my list of romantic movies like Four Weddings, While you were sleeping & Jerry Maguire.