SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE BACHELOR

"THE BACHELOR"
(1999) (Chris O'Donnell, Renee Zellweger) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Mild	None	Mild	None	None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	None	None	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	Mild	Minor	Minor	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: Romantic Comedy: A self-proclaimed bachelor learns that he has just one day to get married or else he'll lose the $100 million inheritance his grandfather has left him.

PLOT:

Jimmie Shannon (CHRIS O'DONNELL) is a self-proclaimed bachelor who loves the freedom of not being tied down. Although he and his photographer girlfriend, Anne (RENEE ZELLWEGER), get along just fine, neither seem ready or willing to move on to the next big step of their relationship.

Yet when his friends, including best buddy and coworker, Marco (ARTIE LANG), gets hitched, Jimmie starts to feel the pressure. Arranging a romantic dinner at an establishment known for inducing marriage proposals, Jimmie reluctantly and awkwardly pops the question to Anne. She sees that his heart isn't really into it, however, and turns him down.

As Anne returns home to complain to her roommate sister, Natalie (MARLEY SHELTON), Jimmie gets some mixed news. For one, he learns that his grandfather (PETER USTINOV) has passed away, but has left Jimmie the $100 million balance of his estate in his will. The catch, however, is that Jimmie has to be married by just after 6:00 p.m. on the day of his thirtieth birthday, which just happens to be the following day.

With the prompting of Marco, family attorney Gluckman (EDWARD ASNER), and stock broker O'Dell (HAL HOLBROOK) who collectively inform him that the family's billiards business will be sold due to provisions in the will if he doesn't get married, Jimmie halfheartedly asks Anne again for her hand in marriage. Nevertheless, she turns him down once more and reportedly heads off for a three-week assignment in Athens.

Thus, and with less than twenty-four hours to go and realizing that the money and his company are at stake, Jimmie starts asking his former girlfriends -- including ex-debutante Buckley (BROOKE SHIELDS), opera singer Ilana (MARIAH CAREY), commodities broker Stacy (REBECCA CROSS), and tough cop Daphne (JENNIFER ESPOSITO), among others -- to marry him and even has a priest (JAMES CROMWELL) standing by just in case any of them might agree to the arrangement.

With time running out, things looking bleak and Marco, Gluckman, and O'Dell willing to do anything to make sure he gets married, Jimmie finds his views on marriage changing and hopes he'll have another chance with Anne.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of O'Donnell, Zellweger or of fluffy romantic comedies, they just might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: CHRIS O'DONNELL plays a self-proclaimed bachelor and nice guy who doesn't want to settle down. Although he halfheartedly proposes to Anne, he later changes his feelings and really wants to marry her, but in the meantime proposes to many other women to meet the provisions of his grandfather's will and thus keep the family business from being sold (and the workers from losing their jobs). He also uses some profanity.
RENEE ZELLWEGER plays his girlfriend who also uses some profanity and gets mad at Jimmie for his halfhearted marriage proposals.
ARTIE LANG plays Jimmie's best friend who does what he can to help make sure that a marriage takes place by the deadline.
EDWARD ASNER plays the family attorney and HAL HOLBROOK their stockbroker (who smokes cigars), both of whom have a vested interest in getting Jimmie married.
JAMES CROMWELL plays a priest who willingly tags along with these men for a day as they try to get Jimmie married.
MARLEY SHELTON plays Anne's sister and roommate who wants her to get back with Jimmie.
BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; RENEE ZELLWEGER plays his girlfriend who also uses some profanity and gets mad at Jimmie for his halfhearted marriage proposals.
ARTIE LANG plays Jimmie's best friend who does what he can to help make sure that a marriage takes place by the deadline.
EDWARD ASNER plays the family attorney and HAL HOLBROOK their stockbroker (who smokes cigars), both of whom have a vested interest in getting Jimmie married.
JAMES CROMWELL plays a priest who willingly tags along with these men for a day as they try to get Jimmie married.
MARLEY SHELTON plays Anne's sister and roommate who wants her to get back with Jimmie.
BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; ARTIE LANG plays Jimmie's best friend who does what he can to help make sure that a marriage takes place by the deadline.
EDWARD ASNER plays the family attorney and HAL HOLBROOK their stockbroker (who smokes cigars), both of whom have a vested interest in getting Jimmie married.
JAMES CROMWELL plays a priest who willingly tags along with these men for a day as they try to get Jimmie married.
MARLEY SHELTON plays Anne's sister and roommate who wants her to get back with Jimmie.
BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; EDWARD ASNER plays the family attorney and HAL HOLBROOK their stockbroker (who smokes cigars), both of whom have a vested interest in getting Jimmie married.
JAMES CROMWELL plays a priest who willingly tags along with these men for a day as they try to get Jimmie married.
MARLEY SHELTON plays Anne's sister and roommate who wants her to get back with Jimmie.
BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; JAMES CROMWELL plays a priest who willingly tags along with these men for a day as they try to get Jimmie married.
MARLEY SHELTON plays Anne's sister and roommate who wants her to get back with Jimmie.
BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; MARLEY SHELTON plays Anne's sister and roommate who wants her to get back with Jimmie.
BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; BROOKE SHIELDS plays one of Jimmie's former girlfriends, a stuck-up debutante who smokes and agrees to get married but only for the money.
MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.; MARIAH CAREY plays another former girlfriend who's briefly seen but does comment on the two of them sleeping together in the past.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated romantic comedy. Profanity is rated as heavy due to at least 1 use of the "f" word, while other milder profanities and colorful phrases also occur. Some sexually related comments and references are made and various women show varying amounts of cleavage in the film.
Some brief violence is present, as is some smoking and drinking, while it's possible a few viewers may find the protagonist's reluctance to get married as a bad attitude. Beyond that, however, the film's remaining categories have little or nothing in the way of major objectionable content. As always, however, should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness, you may want to more closely examine our detailed content listings.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: We see some women drinking in a bar.
People have wine and champagne at a wedding.
People have wine and champagne in a restaurant, including Jimmie and Anne.
Natalie asks Anne if Jimmie was "hammered" during his bad proposal, but Anne says that he wasn't.
Anne tells Natalie that if their parents start acting up again (romantically) that she has to promise to take her out drinking. Later, when this happens, the sisters do go out to a club and Anne seems to be a bit tipsy (and Natalie then comments on what sounded like her sister needing several drinks to figure out how to have fun again).
We see glasses of wine on the dinner table at Anne and Natalie's parents.

BLOOD/GORE: None.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Some may see Jimmie as having both for being a diehard bachelor and then for halfheartedly asking Anne to marry him, just because he thinks it's the thing to do, not necessarily because he really wants to.
The same holds true for Marco, Gluckman and O'Dell for pressuring Jimmie into marrying someone by the deadline (so that he doesn't lose the money and their company isn't sold).

FRIGHTENING SCENES: None.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Sh*t, or get off the pot" (said many times), "Sh*thead," "Balls" and "Nuts" (both for testicles), "Idiot," "Scum sucker," "Moron," "Dumb bitch" (a reference Natalie makes to anyone who would let Leonardo Dicaprio drown in "Titanic"), "Screwed" (nonsexual), "Broad" (woman), "Jerk off" (person), "Sucked," "What the hell," "Freak," "Hippo" (said from one woman to an overweight one), "Shut up," and "Jugs" (breasts).
Marco drives like a madman through traffic to get Jimmie to Anne before she leaves.
We briefly see a woman with a pierced nose.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 1 "f" word (with another possible one and what may be two incomplete ones in the form of "You're fu..."), 10 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("screwed"), 1 slang term for breasts ("jugs"), 8 hells, 3 damns, 1 S.O.B., 1 crap, 1 ass (used with "hole"), and 4 uses each of "G-damn" and "Oh my God," 2 each of "God" and "Oh God" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes" and "Oh Lord" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: As Jimmie compares men to wild mustangs who enjoy their freedom, he then comments on (all in voice over), "...the endless quest for..." and we then see the shapely bodies of many women sitting at a bar, many of which show a great deal of thigh. Jimmie then goes to say that to stick with his mustang analogy, that men/mustangs are driven to get as much "sweet grass" as possible. He then talks about a variety of grasses (tall, short, dark, blonde, etc...) and spending days in "search of the next succulent patch."
Various women throughout the film, including many in bridal gowns, show varying amounts of cleavage.
As they head down the first hill of a roller coaster, Anne tells Jimmie that he's so cute that "it turns me on."
Jimmie's grandfather tells him that it's his duty to pass on the family genetic material and then commands that he "procreate." He also asks if Anne is fertile, and then tells him that they should "breed" right now. He then adds that in marriage "sex becomes rarer and rarer" as time goes on.
Ilana tells Jimmie about their dating past, "All I remember is that we screwed a couple of times" and then adds that he looked good without his shirt on, and then says, "But then again, so do I."
Another former girlfriend gets mad at Jimmie for offering her flowers, saying that they're "a plant's vagina." Jimmie then asks, "Why would a man give a woman a symbolic vagina?" She then says that it's to signal what his ultimate intentions are. Jimmie responds, "I'm not interested in your God damn vagina, I just want to marry you." Several scenes later, Jimmie comments on some "damn symbolic vaginas" (about flowers again).
We see Buckley in a high cut, cleavage revealing corset as she gets dressed.
A large woman holds her large clothed breasts and says, "You know, you don't get a set of these at 150 (pounds)."
A bride to be, believing she's out of the running to wed Jimmie says, "Thank God I'm bisexual."

SMOKING: O'Dell smokes or holds cigars more than five times, while Buckley smokes around five times (most in quick succession).

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: We hear that Jimmie's father is already dead when the story starts and then see that his grandfather dies during it, but little is made of this in a tense family way (ie. No grieving).

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Men who don't want to or are afraid to get married, but nonetheless get very involved with various women.

VIOLENCE: In an imaginary scene played for laughs, Marco gets lassoed around the feet and then falls hard to the ground.
We see that one of the women -- that Jimmie proposes to but then dumps when he sees Anne -- has set an effigy of him (a mannequin with a noose around its neck) on fire.
Daphne, a tough cop, pushes a suspect and when he later tries to escape, she hits him in the face and gut and then knocks him to the floor where she holds her foot on him. Moments later, she slaps Jimmie and pushes him back against a wall for proposing to her.
Gluckman briefly grabs Marco by the neck when mad at him.
Jimmie pushes Marco back against a wall when mad at him.

Reviewed November 2, 1999 / Posted November 5, 1999

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