Rumor Has It (2005) * * *

Directed by:  Rob Reiner

Starring:  Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Mark Ruffalo, Shirley MacLaine, Richard Jenkins


When I was in my late teens/early 20's, my favorite film was The Graduate.    Now in my early 40's, I still love The Graduate, although my enthusiasm for it has waned over time.     Why do I bring up The Graduate during a review of Rumor Has It?    Because the book which was turned into the 1967 movie plays an integral part with many of the characters in this film.     Mid-30ish Sarah Huttinger (Aniston) travels to Pasadena with her nice-guy fiance Jeff (Ruffalo), who patiently deals with Sarah's neurotic insecurities.    She hears a rumor that Charles Webb, the writer of The Graduate, based his characters on real people from Pasadena, with the names changed to protect the not-so-innocent.    Hmmm.   

Members of her family seem to fit the profile.    Sarah's mother Jocelyn, now deceased, fled to Mexico days before her wedding and hooked up with a man named Beau Borroughs (Costner), who has the same initials as Benjamin Braddock of The Graduate.     Jocelyn returned after a few days and married Sarah's father Earl (Jenkins), but was her mother pregnant with Beau's child instead of Earl's?   The timeline between the wedding and Sarah's birth seems to indicate that, but who knows?    Oh, and there's the small matter of Beau having an affair with Jocelyn's mother Katharine Richileu (MacLaine).    

Sarah is determined to find out the truth and travels to San Francisco to meet Beau Borroughs, who is now a multi-millionaire looking to increase his fortunes in the fledgling internet market (the film takes place in 1997).     Beau is a charismatic, pleasant guy who likes Sarah and I will not reveal whether Sarah becomes the third-generation Richileu to sleep with him.    I liked Beau's response when Sarah sees President Clinton on TV and asks "Do you know him?"   Beau said, "I don't know if anyone can truly know him, but I've spent time with him." 

Rumor Has It is a likable romantic comedy filled with likable characters with The Graduate forming a subtext with every scene.    It's a quasi-continuation of the original story with also some background information which fills in the blanks.    "I never finished college," Beau confesses, "but calling the book The Dropout just doesn't have the same ring."    And there isn't a million miles difference between Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson and MacLaine's Katharine Richileu, which means both have a love of bourbon.    It's difficult not to enjoy the performances, especially Costner who displays effortless charm even as the film skirts a potential ick factor.    I was also moved by Richard Jenkins, who shows interminable patience and tact in a crucial scene.   

Rob Reiner, who cut his teeth in show business as Meathead from All In The Family, is a gifted director of comedy.    In films like Stand By Me, The Sure Thing, The American President, Flipped, and even A Few Good Men (which wasn't a comedy), Reiner is a confident, steady hand.   Rumor Has It has its heart in the right place.    It's not deep, but it does provide an answer to the question many of us Graduate fans always had:   Did Benjamin Braddock ever get into plastics?