Runaway Bride (1999)

I was reasonably impressed with the middle-of-the-road romantic comedy Runaway Bride because, in addition to mainly allowing Richard Gere to beam beatifically at the beautiful if frantic Julia Roberts, there was a seed of a motive to the story. Gere is a columnist who hears about a woman who has approached the marriage altar with three men and every time fled in a panic, refusing to wed each prospective groom before it ever came to saying "I do." So he makes a snarky comment in print -- and she writes to gently chide, "How can you say that? You don't even know me." He decides to travel and meet her, then write a column about the real woman. Being Gere and Roberts, yes, they are going to have to fall in love -- wouldn't you think? -- but what was most interesting to me (though maybe not to everyone) is how patiently he helps her identify and face her fears. (I love the triumphant scene where she's nailed it on the head and is attacking it with gusto.) As for the ending, if she's given one more chance at the altar -- will she run? It was a suspenseful and enjoyable ending. The movie's closing credits are hilarious because of the Dixie Chicks' music video of the rollicking song "Ready to Run" in which they play three hightailing brides. 3.5 stars.