''Return to Me'' is a 2000 American romantic

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

directed by

Bonnie Hunt Bonnie Lynn Hunt (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. Her film roles include ''Rain Man'', ''Beethoven (film), Beethoven'', ''Beethoven's 2nd (film), Beethoven's 2nd'', ''Jumanji'', ''Jerry Maguire'', ''The Green Mile ( ...

and starring

David Duchovny David William Duchovny ( ; born ) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He received his breakthrough with the role of Fox Mulder in The X-Files franchise, earning Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

and

Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is a British and American actress and singer. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in the 1995 film ''Circle of Friends (1995 film), Circle of Friends''. She went on to star i ...

. It was filmed in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and was released on April 7, 2000 by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro ...

. It was

Carroll O'Connor John Carroll O'Connor (August2, 1924– June21, 2001) was an American actor whose television career spanned over four decades. He found widespread fame as Archie Bunker (for which he won four Emmy Awards), the main character in the CBS televis ...

's final film before his death the following year.

Plot

Bob and Elizabeth Rueland live and work in Chicago. Bob is an architect and Elizabeth is a zoologist at

Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868 and is the second oldest zoo in the United States. It is also one of a small number of zoos to offer fr ...

. On the night of her fundraiser for a new primate house, Bob promises Elizabeth that he will finish the building. However, she is killed in a car accident leaving the fundraiser, and her heart is transplanted to artist Grace Briggs, who has suffered from heart disease since the age of 14 and is near death. The surgery is successful, and Grace is able to live a normal life for the first time. She plans to take her first airplane trip to Italy to paint. Grace's best friend Megan Dayton encourages her to start dating in spite of her self-consciousness about the long surgical scar on her chest. Grace writes a letter to the donor's family after the surgery, thanking them for the heart she received, but it takes her more than a year to find the courage to mail the letter. Bob works to build the primate house for which Elizabeth raised money, but he is still depressed a year after her death and recognizes that he must resume his life. A friend organizes a blind date for Bob that goes badly, as his date is very obnoxious, petty and self-absorbed. However, Bob is drawn to the waitress, Grace, who is also the granddaughter of the restaurant's owner. Although they are both unaware of the connection they have through Elizabeth's heart, Bob and Grace begin to date. As they grow closer together, she is reluctant to share her medical history. After several months of dating, Grace finally decides to tell Bob about the transplant. However, before she can do so, she finds the letter that she had sent several months earlier in Bob's house. Horrified by the discovery, Grace flees and tells Megan what has happened. Megan's husband Joe becomes infuriated because he has misunderstood Grace's panic and thinks Bob must be married. Megan then shouts at Joe, "Grace has Bob's dead wife's heart!" When Grace meets Bob again, she tells him the truth, leaving him speechless. Against Megan's advice to face the situation, Grace travels to Italy alone. Back at home, Bob realizes that although he will always miss Elizabeth, he pines for Grace, so he reunites with her in Italy. They return to Chicago for the dedication of the new primate house. The characters, including a pregnant Megan, dance at a wedding reception.

Cast

Production

In July 1997, it was announced

had signed a deal with

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

to direct ''Distance Calls'', a film about a man who falls in love with the woman who was the donor recipient of his late wife’s heart, from a script by Andrew Stern and Samantha Goodman with Hunt providing a rewrite. In January 1999, it was announced the title was now ''Return to Me'' with

as one of the leads and

in final negotiations to star opposite Duchovny.

Reception

The film received generally mixed reviews. Based on 102 reviews, it has a score of 63% at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

. The consensus reads: "David Duchovny and Minnie Driver provide heart-warming romance and comedy in this solid debut by director Bonnie Hunt." Peter Stack of the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' stated, "Old-fashioned as all get-out, ''Return to Me'' is swathed in an unabashed feel-good tone."

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

called the film "so innocent, so naive, so sweet and sincere, that you must leave your cynicism at the door or choose another movie." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

Lisa Schwarzbaum Lisa Schwarzbaum (born July 5, 1952) is an American film critic. She joined ''Entertainment Weekly'' as a senior writer in 1991, working as a film critic for the magazine alongside Owen Gleiberman from 1995 to 2013. Early life Lisa Schwarzbaum w ...

awarded the film a C+ grade and stated that "the alluringly deadpan Duchovny can make no headway with Driver." Jay Carr of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called the film "ultimately too bland and safe." The film opened in fourth place at the North American box office, earning US$7.8 million in its opening weekend, behind ''

The Road to El Dorado ''The Road to El Dorado'' is a 2000 American animated musical adventure comedy film directed by Eric "Bibo" Bergeron and Don Paul, from a screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, as well as additional sequences directed by Will Finn and ...

'', ''

Erin Brockovich Erin Brockovich (née Pattee; born June 22, 1960) is an American paralegal, consumer advocate, and environmental activist who was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) involving groundwater contamination ...

'' and '' Rules of Engagement''. It returned $32,662,299 during its entire box-office run.

References

External links