Review

This sentimental roller coaster delivers if you’re looking for a tearjerker. All others be warned that the film pulls out all the emotional stops. Birdee (Bullock) goes on a talk show, told by her best friend that she has arranged for her to have a makeover. Instead, she is informed, along with the national audience, that her husband has been cheating on her with the same best friend for over a year and that he is leaving her for the other woman. Devastated and shamed, Birdee and her daughter Bernice take refuge with her mother (warmly played by Rowlands) in her hometown. Enter Justin (Connick), a former high school nerd, now a sexy and sympathetic house painter. There are plenty of tragic twists and turns until the inevitable happy ending. Fine acting and some heart-warming moments help elevate the film above the maudlin plot.