What was I thinking?

Before you think I'm all high-fallootin' and only see high-quality, well-reviewed films, I wanted to let you know that I saw one of the biggest stinkbombs of 2005...Rumor Has It. Truly, it was the pits. But I was feeling vulnerable - Christmas puts me in a romantic comedy kind of mood, and after seeing The Family Stone in hopes that it would quell my thirst (failure - totally NOT a comedy), I turned to the multiplex the next day to see this picture.

UGH. It is never a good sign of a movie when the first joke - some airplane bathroom shenanigans as the couple tries to join the mile-high club - fails miserably. The audience, made up of women much like my mom and me, didn't let out a titter. After 15 more minutes, you could hear the movie go ker-plunk and sink to the bottom of film ocean.

But we stuck it out for the remaining 2 hours or so. The plot had vague promise - story of a woman who learns that The Graduate was based on her family - but it gets icky when she actually sleeps with the same man her mom and grandmother did. Kevin Costner is the rogue, playing that sandy-haired, tanned middle aged man he's been playing a lot lately. Wait, that's what he is. Hmm. And Shirley MacLaine, now pigeonholed as the sassy grandmother with one-liners that are actually kind of gross.

Jennifer Aniston was like a lamer version of Rachel, just with different hair. Hair that annoyed - brush it OFF your face, please?

Silver lining: delicious dulcet darling of Mark Ruffalo. He was good, as always, but why did his character take back Aniston's character after her night of passion with that man? Because it was in the script. I can't find another reason.

Hey Rob Reiner, what happened? Whither have you gone?

Please, Hollywood, can we please get a good romantic comedy? I have my needs, and Valentine's Day is right around the corner...