MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING (43)

Directed by: P. J. Hogan

Starring: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett

The Pitch: When her "best friend" announces he's marrying someone else, Our Julia realises she's still in love with him - and decides to break the happy couple up.

Theo Sez: A fairly daring role for Roberts to take on (which may be why she seems so infectiously happy to be playing it) ; but not too daring. Our heroine may be devious but her Macchiavellian schemes are surprisingly mild - after all, taking someone who can't sing to a karaoke bar (where everyone makes a fool of themselves anyway) hardly counts as the height of malevolence ; significantly, when her plans escalate into the truly criminal (forgery and deceit) she backs out - hey, this is Julia Roberts we're talking about here! The film is similarly toothless, a sort-of campy romantic comedy with a couple of neatly pixillated moments - like the trio of helium-inhaling teens singing "Annie's Song" in squeaky-chipmunk voices - but not enough going on to make it particularly memorable : even its most promising ruse, our heroine's gay friend pretending to be her fiance, leads to nothing except an over-extended singalong of "Say A Little Prayer". Critics looking for messages may note that career-woman Roberts self-proclaimedly never wears pink, whereas her sweet, perfect rival - who's willing to sacrifice her career for her husband's sake - pointedly does, and may thus conclude (taking the ending into account) that independent women are less "feminine" than compliant ones, and certainly less likely to get their man. Those viewers looking only for a sharp comedy about romantic scheming are directed instead to the better, edgier ADDICTED TO LOVE.