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Rumor Has It...
Warner Bros.

Rumor Has It... reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 35 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.1 out of 10
based on 29 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 42 votes
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Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Ruffalo, Richard Jenkins, Christopher McDonald, Steve Sandvoss, and Mena Suvari

Sarah Huttinger (Aniston) is in a fog. She's finally agreed to marry her boyfriend Jeff (Ruffalo), but isn't at all sure that marriage is what she really wants. Now she's on her way home to attend her sister's wedding, which means spending a lot of time with the tennis-obsessed Pasadena family that she's never felt quite a part of. It isn't until Sarah stumbles into a well-kept family secret that she starts to question her roots and sets off in search of the man who may have the answers she's looking for (Costner). (Warner Bros.)


GENRE(S): Comedy  |  Drama  |  Romance  
WRITTEN BY: Ted Griffin  
DIRECTED BY: Rob Reiner  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: May 9, 2006 
Theatrical: December 25, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 96 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This is not a great movie, but it's very watchable and has some good laughs. The casting of Aniston is crucial, because she's the heroine of this story, and the way it's put together there's danger of her becoming the shuttlecock. Aniston has the presence to pull it off.
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75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
T. M. Griffin's script is imaginative and clever.
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75
Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt
Easygoing but surprisingly likable comedy.
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60
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
Aniston gets marooned here: Her comic instincts are muted by all the identity angst, yet there isn't sufficient dramatic material into which she can sink her teeth. Costner strolls through this role with disarming ease.
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58
Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
Sets up a situation so weird, it's almost weirder that Rob Reiner directs it as a cookie-cutter romantic comedy.
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50
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
The movie has that fatal triptych that is becoming Reiner's romantic-comedy signature: drippy sentiment, zany scenes that trivialize the characters and a horror of adventure.
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50
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
This movie proves to be the year's most anti-romantic comedy.
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50
TV Guide Ken Fox
Not much to laugh about -- or shout about for that matter.
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50
The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
Like the film itself, Ruffalo and Aniston exacerbate a bad, unfeasible idea with clumsy execution, exerting a whole lot of energy and effort for very little payoff.
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50
Variety Brian Lowry
As muddled in most respects as its title, Rumor Has It... begins with an intriguing premise...but it devolves into a bland romance spiced with too little comedy.
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50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
The real weak point is Reiner's listless direction, with too few scenes that almost gel and too many that fall flat.
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50
USA Today Claudia Puig
The story, though initially intriguing, is dicey. A seminal social satire has been spun off into a passionless romance and a wan comedy.
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50
Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Under the circumstances, MacLaine, Costner, and Ruffalo acquit themselves well.
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50
ReelViews James Berardinelli
An unfocused mess, with poor chemistry all around and an ending that's as firm and satisfying as an overcooked noodle.
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50
LA Weekly Ella Taylor
This Rob Reiner comedy jogs along pleasantly enough to the finish (Costner is charming as always in over-the-hill-ruin mode), which entails a less-than-shattering insight about love and marriage.
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42
Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
Draggy pastiche of tired gags and half-baked homilies.
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40
Empire Olly Richards
Inspired by The Graduate it may be, but despite Aniston’s charm, this confused comedy will not be seducing anybody.
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40
Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
The resulting film is a muddled, melodramatic, sort-of remake of "The Graduate."
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38
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
A lump of coal, sculpted from the kind of high-concept idea screenwriters find scribbled on bar napkins after nights of heavy drinking.
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33
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
A mess -- all high concept, stranded performances, and no laughs.
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30
The New York Times Dana Stevens
I suppose Rumor Has It could be worse, though at the moment I'm at a loss to say just how.
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30
Washington Post Desson Thomson
A jarring amalgam of sitcom goofiness and uncomfortable ooginess.
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25
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
An embarrassing romantic comedy from Rob Reiner.
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25
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Following "Derailed," this comic turd makes it two strikes for Jennifer Aniston. She looks great, but her acting is board-stiff.
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25
Miami Herald Connie Ogle
If only someone had recognized the inherent vileness of the premise, we might not have been subjected to this hideous Rumor at all.
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25
New York Post Kyle Smith
Reiner, who came in to rescue this picture after the original director was fired, once gave us "When Harry Met Sally," but seeing him work now is like watching Willie Mays hobble around in a Mets uniform during that pathetic final year when he hit .211.
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20
Village Voice Laura Sinagra
Maybe it's the terrible lighting, but Friend-out-of-water Aniston spends most of this flick looking like she needs Dustin Hoffman to bang on the glass and get her out of this mess.
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10
Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky
Stay away: Everything about the movie is rinky-dink, from its phony, lifeless dialogue to its drab, shabby sitcom look to its choppy editing, all of which can wear on you after 95 minutes that come to feel like an eternity.
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0
Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman
Fans of "The Graduate" should skip this strange comedy.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 4.1 (out of 10) based on 42 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a2:
I've never seen The Graduate but my instincts tell me that this movie is a lackluster spin-off and should in no way represent the original.

Larry T. gave it a1:
A real dud. They took a decent premise and turned into a sitcom that lasted an hour and a half.

Matthew gave it an8:
a movie with alot charm thanks to Aniston and Costner... Rob Riner delivers a nice romantic comedy.

Brittany M. gave it a10:
girls will enjoy this movie. I thought it was very funny. Me and my girl friend went and saw it without guys and we had a blast! I would definitely see it again.

Kathy S. gave it a7:
Enjoyed every minute of it. Perfectly cast throughout with good performances, especially from Shirley Maclaine, Marc Ruffalo, Kevin Costner, and Richard Jenkins.

KG gave it a2:
Waste of time. Our group's opinions ranged from forgettable to worst movie of the year so far.

Nigel W gave it a5:
A reasonably good film, it held my attention and didn't fundamentally offend me. There were some laugh out loud moments, mainly thanks to Shirley MacLaine. Jennifer Aniston played herself admirably. Just let down by the predictable ending.

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