Fools Rush In

Alex (Matthew Perry) is a successful New York businessman who is sent to Las Vegas to oversee construction of a new night club. While there, in a toilet queue, he meets Mexican local Isabel (Salma Hayek) and the sparks fly. They end up having a one night stand and go their seperate ways. Three months later, Isobel turns up on Alex's doorstep declaring she is pregnant and that he is the father. They decide to get married, not because it's the right thing to do, but because they feel they are meant to be together. Taking into account the conflict caused by a cross cultural relationship and parents who had better plans for their offspring, Alex and Isabel do all they can to make it work, even with a major lack of communication.

"Everything that's famous about Las Vegas is about leaving it, that movie, the song, even the mob left Las Vegas."

The entire cast are well suited for their respective roles. Perry is a little more serious than his Friends character but fits this role well. Hayek is stunning on screen and perfect for her role. Although the romantic comedy has been done to death and the cross culture angle has been covered many times, this still seems to work. A well written script, with both funny and tender moments, brings this well produced film to life.

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and 16x9 enhanced, there is little wrong with this transfer, it's visually appealing with clear pictures and vivid colours. Skin tones are near perfect and some of the desert scenery is spectacular. Blacks are great and shading is excellent with no low level noise. There is some grain on a few scenes but these are minor. There are no artefacts to speak of, unless you look really hard and as such cause no distraction. All in all a very good transfer.

Audio available is Dolby Digital 5.1 in either English, French or German. It seems strange there's no Spanish for a film with such a large Mexican influence. The surrounds are used minimally, with the rear speakers only getting action for music and the odd scene to demonstrate movement. Audio sync is spot on with all dialogue crystal clear. Music used is very appropriate with a mixture of Latin music and the odd Elvis track for the Las Vegas reference. The subwoofer gets little action on this one.

The only extras here are a multitude of Subtitles and a few Theatrical Trailers. Trailers available are Fools Rush In (2:28), It Could Happen To You (2:15), Sleepless In Seatle (2:30) and My Best Friend's Wedding (2:18). Notice a theme by any chance? The first three trailers are in full frame and the last is in 1.78:1, all are in DD 2.0. Picture-wise they are of good qaulity and serve their purpose.

Fools Rush In is directly aimed at the romentic comedy market (it's a "chick flick"), but it is also enjoyable for the mainstream viewing public. The plot has been done time and time again, but this one works quite well. Matthew Perry is very good, although he will always be Chandler Bing to most of us, and Salma Hayek is great as his co-star. Well worth a look if you like this genre, with a very good quality transfer.