To be honest, I only watched this film because of the Buster Keaton connection: every mention of it I could find was dismissive to the utmost ('romantic comedy that's neither funny nor romantic'), and I had every expectation of a cringe-making experience. But to my surprise, I actually rather enjoyed it.
"The Bachelor" is a romantic comedy for the 1990s, which aims not so much at soliciting laughs from its audience but at winces of sympathy (the male portion) and eye-rollings (the female portion). Updated for its era, it becomes not the story of a man too shy to propose, but, as the title suggests, of one terrified of 'commitment' -- in "Seven Chances", Keaton took a contemporary stage farce and converted it into simply the preliminary set-up for a trademark chase sequence, while "The Bachelor" is built at heart around the situation of "the world's worst proposal" and how the hero can possibly convince his girl that his change of heart is for real. Considered on its own terms it is equally as good, and with its shifted emphasis on the central character's learning process it can scarcely be considered a remake at all. The potential brides in this version are all girlfriends Jimmie has previously dumped or split up with, and the self-proclaimed 'wild free mustang' comes to realise painfully that not every woman is dying to bring him down and jam the ring on his finger after all!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the elements that felt forced to me were those cloned more directly from the earlier film and thrust into the plot: Jimmie's sudden revelation as heir to the family snooker empire, and consequent attack of conscience on its workers' behalf, and the Chase of the Brides. Chris O'Donnell is no physical match for Buster Keaton, and invoking the direct comparison is unwise.
The isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy caper, and to be fair I don't think it was ever intended to be. But as a modern entry in the "war of the sexes" genre it's inoffensive, undemanding and entertaining: it could easily have been toe-curlingly bad, and it's not. The plot is satisfactory, the characters' growth towards one another plausible, and the hero's predicament grotesque without descending into 'gross-out' territory. I started this film prejudiced against it; I came out in its favour. That's a pretty good endorsement.
"The Bachelor" is a romantic comedy for the 1990s, which aims not so much at soliciting laughs from its audience but at winces of sympathy (the male portion) and eye-rollings (the female portion). Updated for its era, it becomes not the story of a man too shy to propose, but, as the title suggests, of one terrified of 'commitment' -- in "Seven Chances", Keaton took a contemporary stage farce and converted it into simply the preliminary set-up for a trademark chase sequence, while "The Bachelor" is built at heart around the situation of "the world's worst proposal" and how the hero can possibly convince his girl that his change of heart is for real. Considered on its own terms it is equally as good, and with its shifted emphasis on the central character's learning process it can scarcely be considered a remake at all. The potential brides in this version are all girlfriends Jimmie has previously dumped or split up with, and the self-proclaimed 'wild free mustang' comes to realise painfully that not every woman is dying to bring him down and jam the ring on his finger after all!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the elements that felt forced to me were those cloned more directly from the earlier film and thrust into the plot: Jimmie's sudden revelation as heir to the family snooker empire, and consequent attack of conscience on its workers' behalf, and the Chase of the Brides. Chris O'Donnell is no physical match for Buster Keaton, and invoking the direct comparison is unwise.
The isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy caper, and to be fair I don't think it was ever intended to be. But as a modern entry in the "war of the sexes" genre it's inoffensive, undemanding and entertaining: it could easily have been toe-curlingly bad, and it's not. The plot is satisfactory, the characters' growth towards one another plausible, and the hero's predicament grotesque without descending into 'gross-out' territory. I started this film prejudiced against it; I came out in its favour. That's a pretty good endorsement.