''A Smile Like Yours'' is a 1997 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by Keith Samples and starring

Greg Kinnear Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997). Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including '' Sabrina'' (1 ...

and

Lauren Holly Lauren Holly (born October 28, 1963) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series ''Picket Fences'', NCIS Director Jenny Shepard in the series '' NCIS'', Dr. Betty Rogers on '' Motiv ...

. The film centers on a couple as they try to conceive a child. The film was produced by Rysher Entertainment and released by Paramount Pictures. The title song was performed by

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

Plot

Danny Robertson and his wife, Jennifer, are happily married, except for one major issue—he is doubtful about having children, and she desperately wants to have a baby. When Jennifer stops using birth control and doesn't tell Danny, it puts a strain on their relationship, particularly after she discovers that they have fertility problems. Soon both Danny and Jennifer are tempted to stray from their marriage as their baby conception woes mount.

Cast

as Danny Robertson *

as Jennifer Robertson *

Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In & Out'' (1997 ...

as Nancy Tellen *

Jay Thomas Jay Thomas (born Jon Thomas Terrell; July 12, 1948 – August 24, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976–1979 on top-40 station 99X, and later on rhythmic CHR station 92KTU, and in ...

as Steve Harris *

Jill Hennessy Jillian Noel Hennessy (born November 25, 1968) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is most known for her roles on the American television series '' Law & Order'', on which she played prosecutor Claire Kincaid for three seasons, and ''Crossin ...

as Lindsay Hamilton * Christopher McDonald as Richard Halstrom * Donald Moffat as Dr. Felber * Shirley MacLaine (uncredited) as Martha

Reception

''A Smile Like Yours'' was generally panned by critics. Review aggregate

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gave it a approval rating based on reviews, with an average score of . The site's critical consensus reads: "Flat and unfocused, ''A Smile Like Yours'' aims for romantic comedy but settles for tired sitcom formula." John Hartl of ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...

'' criticized Samples for his direction and scripting of both his cast and comedic scenes coming across as flat and unfunny, saying that he "systematically takes each comic opportunity and drains the laughs out of it." Lisa Alspector of the '' Chicago Reader'' felt that both Kinnear and Holly's characters were written to have charm and display "every clichéd behaviour" about their problems in a film that acts as an "incredibly naive attempt at schmaltz." Dave Kehr, writing for the '' New York Daily News'', said that despite both Kinnear and Hennessy's best efforts with the material given, the film suffers from "witless sex jokes", melodramatic tonal changes and lacking the sweetness found in the comedy ''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ''Barefoot ...

''. Conversely, Kevin Thomas from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' gave praise to the cast for their performances and both director Samples and co-writer Meyer for adding wit and "affectionate humor" to the film's infertility plot, despite having an unfulfilling conclusion, calling it "an uncommonly thoughtful and intelligent mainstream entertainment, painstaking and stylish in every aspect." Holly was nominated for a

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress Razzie Award for Worst Actress is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actress of the previous year. Male actors performing in drag are eligible, as it is intended as a humorous award. The following is a list of ...

for her work in the film and ''

Turbulence In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to a laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between ...

'', but lost the award to

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Br ...

for '' G.I. Jane''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smile Like Yours 1997 films 1997 directorial debut films 1997 romantic comedy films 1990s English-language films American romantic comedy films Films scored by William Ross Films shot in San Francisco Paramount Pictures films Rysher Entertainment films 1990s American films