Product Details

• Actors: Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Christopher Reeve, Bonnie Bedelia, Ernie Hudson
• Directors: Ron Underwood
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: January 7, 1997
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304286449
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,782 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #3 in	Video > Comedy > Comedy Stars > Michael Keaton
  #87 in	Video > Comedy > Romantic Comedies

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Picture James Carville and Mary Matalin dropped into a screwball comedy. Michael Keaton and Geena Davis are political speechwriters with bad cases of insomnia who meet cute, fall in love, and then discover that they are working for opposing candidates. The subsequent short-lived war of dirty tricks and one-upmanship is one of those contrivances that is soon (and thankfully) discarded in light of their instant rapport and mutual respect. In a world where candidates are for sale and campaigns are fought like poker games, these idealists are made for each other--they just don't know it yet. Director Ron Underwood (City Slickers) has a light touch with comedy and a nice feel for romantic fun, but it's the charm of Keaton and Davis that puts the bounce in an otherwise limp political satire. --Sean Axmaker

From The New Yorker

Tracy-Hepburn meets Carville-Matalin. It should have made a great movie, but the director, Ron Underwood, and his writer, Robert King, have softened the blows that are needed for a battle of wits. Michael Keaton is a speechwriter working on a Republican senate campaign in New Mexico, Geena Davis his opposite number in the Democratic camp. They fall in love and then start hating each other-or so the movie would like us to believe. In fact, after one round of bitchery the tension dies, and they go back to helping each other out like best buddies. Davis dresses like a bossy schoolgirl, and, to some extent, behaves like one; she gives us a smart, winning portrait of principles under siege, but she needs something smoother to play off than Keaton's nervous stop-and-go style. (Christopher Reeve is much funnier as a hunk hack-basically, a huge grin and a pair of shorts-named Baghdad Bob). The film loses its way long before the end, and the climactic declaration of love is embarrassing and pretty unlikely. These are journalists, for heaven's sake. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and Funny, April 19, 2001

By	Brian A. Wolters (Cabot, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Speechless is delightful! The chemistry between Davis and Keaton is the best I have seen in a long time. In my opinion, this is Davis at her best! Plus, the story is very interesting and has those great "ups and downs". I also give high marks for Christopher Reeve and it is sad to see that this was one of his last pre-accident movies. As with most romantic comedies these days, the characters have to go to bed, but thankfully, it is kept off screen. Rated PG-13 for some language and implied sex.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ladies, one of keaton's best, January 9, 2005

By	daisy fan (pa usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speechless (DVD)

browsing for a michael keaton movie..? if you love michael like i do, be sure not to pass this one up, its the old fashion, boy meets girl, boy chases girl, but you'll have to watch the movie to find out how it ends, this is a romantic comedy that we ladies like seeing keaton in, scenes are suggestive without todays over the top sex scenes, there are moments in the film that take you back to memories of your dating years, for example one scene where michael and geena discreetly reach to hold each others hand, they just wanted to touch each other, for all those ladies who think like i do, that michael is one sexy dude, get this movie, you will enjoy it, i have lost count of how many times i have watched it, add all this to the fact that in my opinion michael is one of the best, most expressive actors of this era who is enjoyable to watch, you cant go wrong purchasing this movie.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Semi-cute, August 16, 2000

By	Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Geena Davis is of course cute, but this romantic comedy about speech writers in opposing political camps is fluff and cotton candy, kind of like something from Neil Simon without the bite and with only a quarter of the wit. The candidates and the issues are trivialized and made into clichés. (But that's good.) Must have been written by a speech writer! She's a liberal Democrat and he's an amoral Republican hired gun. It might have been more interesting if they had switched them around. It's all surface and sound bite mentality including the performances by the leads, Geena Davis and Michael Keaton, who together produce enough chemistry to rival cold dishwater. If you're really, really bored and it's a choice between, say, a rerun of "Suddenly Susan" and this, flip a coin. Or better yet, go scrub the kitchen floor. This is the sort of mush that will turn your brain to cottage cheese.

Some observations: Christopher Reeve is sadly miscast: he makes a very soft heavy. Geena can smile and smile and smile and occasionally frown. Big deal. Poor Bonnie Bedelia. They made her look so dowdy, so as not to upstage Davis. It must be frustrating to know that not only are you more talented than the star, you are even better looking; but for an actress in Hollywood, younger always wins out.