Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) Reviews

• Fraser and MacLaine make 'Mrs. Winterbourne' watchable.

  cascade_ice2004-01-08

  'Mrs. Winterbourne' is a highly improbable take on the Cinderella "rags to riches" story about 18 year-old Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake), who finds herself enceinte, unmarried, and homeless. Her criminal rat of a boyfriend, Steve DeCunzo (Loren Dean), wants nothing to do with her or the baby. But fate has a better future in store for Connie, and the heavily pregnant girl finds herself, almost miraculously, on a train bound for Boston from New York. There she shares a compartment with a young married couple, Hugh and Patricia Winterbourne (Susan Haskell and Brendan Fraser), who are also expecting a little bundle of joy. But one little innocent action, followed by one horrifying accident, lands Connie in the hospital, mistaken for Patricia Winterbourne. She and her baby, who survived, are both whisked off to the massive Winterbourne estate in Boston. Connie decides to carry on the charade (it's almost ironic that her her name is Connie, since she's "conning" everyone) even after coming face to face with her coddling "mother-in-law" (Shirley MacLaine) and Hugh's twin brother, the cold and unfriendly Bill Winterbourne (also Brendan Fraser). For a fluff film like this, the cast is surprisingly good. Loren Dean is convincing enough and makes you want to jump into your TV and strangle the jerk. The Winterbourne butler, Paco (Miguel Sandoval), is a delight to watch, especially when he's drunk. But Fraser and MacLaine really make the film worthwhile to see. Why either talented actor would want to participate in a film like this is a mystery to me, but maybe it's for the best. Fraser especially plays twins very well, and his transition from part antagonist to full protagonist is believable. But I have a difficult time understanding why Ricki Lake was cast as Connie. She has a tendency to overact in many scenes, she doesn't make a convincing 18 year-old at all (she was 28 when cast), and her transition from sharp-tongued teenager to polite young socialite bride-to-be is too fast and unbelievable. Overall, 'Mrs. Winterbourne' is a good film for a boring Friday night. This is definitely a chick flick. It's heartwarming and the cast is a joy to watch. Just don't expect anymore than that.

• Surprisingly good

  VLeung2001-08-04

  This may only be good if you're expecting it to be very terrible. I was. The beginning wasn't promising. But as soon as Ricki Lake gets on the train, this movie starts to get watchable, and as soon as she moves in with the Winterbournes, it starts to get honestly funny. Brendan Fraser is really a great actor, isn't he? He's too good looking to be as talented as he is. Some fairly hackneyed scenes in this film are made compelling and realistic because Fraser's so good. But there are lots of genuine laugh out loud moments in this sweet, gentle comedy. If the end is too long, too complicated and too stupid, by that time you'll like it too much to care.

• Totally Underrated

  Glassix2004-01-17

  This was a great film. Just because Ricki Lake stars in this movie doesn't automatically make it bad. It's a sweet story about a girl who had a rough life and accidentally finds herself with a ton of possibilities just unfortunately, as someone else. Ricki Lakes character has a lot of integrity and is truly a good mom along with all the chaos. Brendan Fraser is very lovable and Shirley Mclain was fabulous as only she could be. This is a definite rental if you haven't seen it and are looking for a sweet romantic comedy. You won't be disappointed.

• pleasant romance - feelgood movie

  imdb-17652003-03-02

  So Ricky Lake is not the world's greatest actress, but she does well enough. The romance is reasonably believable. The story is friendly. And you get to watch Brendan Fraser for a long while - who is actually even more dishy as Hugh than as Bill, so do pay attention during the act in the train. I watched it twice on television. I could easily bear watching it a third time. Believe me- that's high praise.

• Sweet, but full of plot holes

  tex-422008-05-10

  Mrs. Winterbourne is perhaps the epitome of romantic comedies, in the requirement that you suspend disbelief. It almost commands that you not think about the plot too much, because if you do, the entire movie falls apart. The plot is simple. Connie Doyle is thrown out by her boyfriend when she becomes pregnant, and she ends up on a train with the Winterbournes, a wealthy young couple on their way to Boston. The train derails, and both Winterbournes are killed. However, as Connie was trying on Mrs. Winterbourne's ring at the time of the accident, she is mistaken for her, and her baby for the Winterbourne grandchild. What follows is what always happens in romantic comedies, Connie is taken in by the Winterbourne family and falls in love with the dead Winterbourne's twin brother, who is initially suspicious of her, but then grows to love her. Complications arise, but everything works out in the end. Shirley MacLaine is quite winning at Grace Winterbourne, and Miguel Sandoval steals most of his scenes. The problem is that neither Ricki Lake or Brendan Fraser have much chemistry with each other, and Ricki Lake seems miscast in general. Of course, there are also massive plot holes here, and even in the end, no one really seems to care that the real Mrs. Winterbourne and the real Winterbourne grandchild are off buried somewhere under someone else's name. This is not a bad movie, it's perfectly pleasant, but you really are required to not think about the plot at all to really enjoy it.