''Fools Rush In'' 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 typic ...

film starring

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series '' St ...

and Salma Hayek, directed by

Andy Tennant Andrew Wellman Tennant (born June 15, 1955) is an American screenwriter, film and television director, actor, and dancer. Early life Tennant was born June 15, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois and was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago ...

Plot

Alex Whitman, a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

architect, is sent to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

to supervise the construction of a nightclub that his firm has been hired to build. Alex, a strait-laced WASP-ish type, meets Isabel Fuentes, a free-spirited Mexican-American photographer. Alex and Isabel are overtaken by lust at first sight and spend the night together; however, their immediate attraction does not last, and in the cold morning light, Isabel quietly slips away while Alex is still asleep. Three months later, they meet again when Isabel has some interesting news for Alex: she is pregnant with his child. Isabel is keeping and raising the child alone, knowing it will disappoint her family. She invites Alex to a family dinner so they can meet her baby's father at least once. Alex agrees, and despite some cultural differences, finds himself more attracted to Isabel. Though Isabel is prepared to say goodbye, Alex suggests they pursue a relationship. He proposes and they quickly marry at a Las Vegas wedding chapel (with an Elvis impersonator serving as a witness), but gradually, both wonder if they belong together, especially as Alex struggles to balance his New York career with Isabel's desire to stay in Nevada. Isabel suffers from a medical complication. While in the hospital, she tells Alex she lost the baby and says they're not meant to be together. Disappointed, 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, Alex realizes he loves Isabel and wants her more than his career. He travels to rural Mexico to find Isabel, unaware she is still pregnant. Her great-grandmother, who only speaks Spanish, reveals 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 Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on S ...

and says he loves her, then realizes she is still pregnant. She 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 The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

Cast

as Alex Whitman * Salma Hayek as Isabel Fuentes-Whitman * Jon Tenney as Jeff *

Carlos Gómez Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, (born December 4, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays ...

as Chuy *

Tomas Milian Tomas Milian (born Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa; 3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor and singer with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and ...

as Tomas Fuentes * Siobhan Fallon as Lainie * John Bennett Perry as Richard Whitman * Stanley DeSantis as Judd Marshall *

Suzanne Snyder Suzanne Snyder (born October 22, 1962) is an American former actress. Career Snyder played Debbie Stone in the movie '' Killer Klowns from Outer Space'' and Beth McMillan in the '' Silver Spoons'' episodes "Daddy Rick" and "Baby Blues". She also ...

as Cathy Stewart *

Anne Betancourt Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

as Amalia Fuentes *

Jill Clayburgh Jill Clayburgh (April 30, 1944 – November 5, 2010) was an American actress known for her work in theater, television, and cinema. She received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Ac ...

as Nan Whitman *

Garret Davis A garret is a habitable attic, a living space at the top of a house or larger residential building, traditionally, small, dismal, and cramped, with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators this was the least prestigious position in a bu ...

as Stan *

Annie Combs Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

as Dr. Lisa Barnes, Ob-Gyn *

Annetta Ray Annetta is a town in Parker County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,288 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the daughter of the founder of the town, a Mr. Fraser who built a station and general store in the area in the mid-18 ...

as minister performing marriage *

Debby Shively Debbie (or Debby or Deb) is a feminine given name, commonly but not always short for Deborah (or Debra and related variants). Notable people *Debbie Allen, American actress, choreographer and film director * Debbie Armstrong, American athlete * ...

as Donna, construction manager *

Robert Arevalo Robert Ylagan Arevalo (; born May 6, 1938) is a Filipino film and television actor. Personal life Arevalo is the son of Filipino film actor/composer/musician Tito Arevalo; his uncle Angel Esmeralda is the father of the late Jay Ilagan and his u ...

as Miguel Fuentes

Soundtrack

The following list of titles represents the music used in sequence with the movie. # Santa Claus is Comin' to Town –

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

(office Christmas party scene) # Jailhouse Rock –

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

(Alex gets excited about Las Vegas) # Las Abajeñas – Mariachi Reyes de Aserradero # Two to Tango –

Vanessa Daou Vanessa Daou (born October 4, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, visual artist and dancer. Most notably a musician, her work is known among nu jazz, trip hop and electronic music circles for her trademark spoken word and aspirated sin ...

(one-night stand/morning after) # Para Donde Vas – The Iguanas (playing while Alex follows Isabel in his car, just after she announces she's pregnant) # El Pichon # La Martiniana # Ain't That a Kick in the Head –

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

(Elvis impersonator wedding/honeymoon scene) # Linda Guerita –

Brave Combo Brave Combo is a polka/ rock/ worldbeat band based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist Carl Finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the Texas music scene for more than thirty-five years. Their music, bot ...

# Si Tu Te Vas –

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By th ...

# Mi Tierra –

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has bee ...

# La Virgen de la Macarena – Pérez Prado # Nothing is Permanent –

# La Bamba – Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán # Los Machetes – Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán #

Fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

–

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

(Alex's parents leaving Las Vegas scene) # Talk to Me – Wild Orchid ("Boulevard Club" opening night scene) # Naked Eye –

Luscious Jackson Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/ rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson. The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, gui ...

("Boulevard Club" opening night scene/Isabel walks out) # I Wonder –

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song " Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", " Baby ...

(Isabel on her way to her grandmother's house) #

Danke Schoen "Danke Schoen" ( , ) is a pop song of German origin. Bert Kaempfert, who composed the melody, recorded it as an instrumental, in 1959 and later in 1962, under the title "Candlelight Cafe". Kurt Schwabach wrote the German lyrics. The song gained int ...

– Wayne Newton (Alex's "epiphany"/leaving New York) # It's Now or Never –

(Alex on the trail to find Isabel) # Can't Help Falling in Love –

(The "real wedding"/closing credits)

Reception

''Fools Rush In'' received mixed reviews from critics. On

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 Wan ...

the film has an approval rating of 34% based on reviews from 32 critics, with an average score of 5.2 out of 10. The consensus states: "Only ''Fools Rush In'' to see a basic romantic comedy where opposites try to attract and find an unlikely happy ending." At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a weighted average using critical reviews, the film received a score of 37 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". A more positive review came from

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

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".

Box office

It grossed $29 million in the United States and Canada and $13 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $42 million.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{Andy Tennant 1997 films 1990s pregnancy films 1990s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films Films about weddings Films set in Nevada Films set in New York City Films directed by Andy Tennant Films about Mexican Americans Films about interracial romance American pregnancy films American interfaith romance films Films scored by Alan Silvestri Columbia Pictures films 1997 romantic comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films