Fools Rush In Is A 1997 American Romantic Comedy Film Starring Matthew Perry And Salma Hayek, Directed By Andy Tennant. ... Fools Rush In (1997 Film)

1997 film by Andy Tennant

Fools Rush In
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andy Tennant
Screenplay by	Katherine Reback
Story by	Joan Taylor Katherine Reback
Produced by	Doug Draizin Michael McDonnell
Starring	Matthew Perry Salma Hayek Jon Tenney Jill Clayburgh
Cinematography	Robbie Greenberg
Edited by	Roger Bondelli
Music by	Alan Silvestri
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	February 14, 1997 (1997-02-14)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Spanish
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$42 million

Fools Rush In is a 1997 American romantic comedy film starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek, directed by Andy Tennant. The film mainly focused on mixed-ethnic couple.

Plot

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Alex Whitman, a New York City architect, is sent to Las Vegas to project-manage the construction of a nightclub that his firm has been hired to build. He is a strait-laced, WASP-ish type and meets Isabel Fuentes, a free-spirited Mexican-American photographer. Alex and Isabel are immediately attracted to each other and spend the night together. In the morning, Isabel quietly slips away while Alex is still asleep.

Three months later, Isabel finds Alex to tell him she is pregnant with his child. She has decided to keep and raise the child alone, although it will disappoint her family. Isabel asks Alex to a family dinner so they can meet her baby's father at least once. He agrees, and despite some cultural differences, he finds himself more attracted to Isabel. Though Isabel is prepared to say goodbye, Alex suggests they pursue a relationship.

Alex proposes, and they quickly marry at a Las Vegas wedding chapel, complete with an Elvis impersonator serving as a witness. However, they gradually both wonder if they belong together, especially as Alex struggles to balance his New York-based career with Isabel's desire to stay in Nevada, near her family. Isabel's father disowns her, when he finds out that Isabel is pregnant and eloped without her family's and his consent.

In early June, when Alex is at his company's head office, his boss tells him to return on July 1 for a new project and promotion. He secretly agrees to it, although he had promised Isabel they would not go until after the baby is born in October.

The newlyweds fight when Isabel finds out why Alex has been so busy and distant. Isabel suffers from a medical complication. While in the hospital, she lets Alex believe she lost the baby and says they're not meant to be together.

Distraught, Alex returns to New York while Isabel, who is still pregnant, goes to Mexico to stay with her great-grandmother. After being served with divorce papers, he sees several "signs" such as a priest telling him to watch carefully for guidance, almost tripping over a chihuahua, seeing a photo of the Grand Canyon and finally a young Latina named Isabel cannot keep her eyes off him. Alex realizes he loves Isabel and wants her more than his career.

Alex travels to rural Mexico to find Isabel, unaware she is still pregnant. Her great-grandmother, who only speaks Spanish, states that Isabel loves Alex and is driving back to Las Vegas to have her baby (which he only understands as she has returned to Las Vegas). He intercepts her at the Hoover Dam and says he loves her, then realizes she is still pregnant.

Isabel suddenly goes into labor and gives birth to a daughter, which coincides with their divorce becoming finalized. Soon after, they remarry with both families present, atop a cliff overlooking the Grand Canyon.

Cast

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• Matthew Perry as Alex Whitman
• Salma Hayek as Isabel Fuentes-Whitman
• Jon Tenney as Jeff
• Carlos Gomez as Chuy
• Tomas Milian as Tomas Fuentes
• Siobhan Fallon as Lainie
• John Bennett Perry as Richard Whitman
• Stanley DeSantis as Judd Marshall
• Anne Betancourt as Amalia Fuentes
• Suzanne Snyder as Cathy Stewart
• Jill Clayburgh as Nan Whitman

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 33% of 36 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Only Fools Rush In to see a basic romantic comedy where opposites try to attract and find an unlikely happy ending."[1] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 37 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[2]

A positive review came from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film 3 stars out of a possible 4. He described Fools Rush In as "a sweet, entertaining retread of an ancient formula", elevated by good performances (particularly Hayek) and an insightful "level of observation and human comedy".[3]

Matthew Perry considered Fools Rush In his "best movie".[4]

Box office

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In the United States and Canada, Fools Rush In grossed $29.5 million at the box office,[5] and $13 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $42 million.[6]

Accolades

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Association	Year	Category	Recipient	Result
ALMA Awards[7]	1998	Outstanding Feature Film	Fools Rush In	Nominated
		Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film	Salma Hayek	Nominated
Imagen Foundation Awards[8]	1997	Best Film	Fools Rush In	Nominated

See also

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• List of films set in Las Vegas

References

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1. ^ "Fools Rush In". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
2. ^ "Fools Rush In". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
3. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 14, 1997). "Review | Fools Rush In". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 15, 2021 – via rogerebert.com.
4. ^ Tinoco, Armando (October 30, 2023). "Salma Hayek Mourns 'Fools Rush In' Co-Star Matthew Perry & Remembers 'Special Bond' Of Sharing Dreams". Deadline Hollywood.
5. ^ "Fools Rush In". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
6. ^ Klady, Leonard (February 9, 1998). "The Top 125". Variety. p. 31.
7. ^ "1998 ALMA Award Nominees". ALMA Awards. Archived from the original on October 5, 2002. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
8. ^ "Elizondo, Valdez nab Imagen nods". Variety. April 14, 1997. Retrieved September 5, 2024.

External links

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• Fools Rush In at IMDb 

v t e Films directed by Andy Tennant
Keep the Change (1992) Desperate Choices: To Save My Child (1992) The Amy Fisher Story (1993) It Takes Two (1995) Fools Rush In (1997) Ever After (1998) Anna and the King (1999) Sweet Home Alabama (2002) Hitch (2005) Fool's Gold (2008) The Bounty Hunter (2010) Wild Oats (2016) The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020) Unit 234 (2024)