Rumor Has It (2005)
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A woman discovers her grandmother and mother may have inspired a famous novel, leading her to uncover a complicated family secret.
The story
In 1997, Sarah Huttinger, a writer for The New York Times, returns to her hometown of Pasadena, California, for her sister's wedding. Accompanied by her fiancé, Jeff, she confides in her grandmother about her doubts regarding marriage. During their conversation, her grandmother reveals that Sarah's mother ran away just before her own wedding. This revelation leads Sarah to investigate her family's past and the connections between her relatives and the author of the novel The Graduate. As Sarah uncovers the truth about her lineage and the men in her family's lives, she must decide what it all means for her future and her relationship with Jeff.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1997, Sarah Huttinger returns to Pasadena for her sister Annie's wedding with her fiancé, Jeff. Her grandmother, Katharine, reveals that Sarah's mother, Jocelyn, fled her wedding to be with a man named Beau Burroughs. Sarah discovers that Beau is a wealthy tech mogul and, upon meeting him, learns he had relationships with both her mother and grandmother. Although he claims he cannot be her biological father due to infertility, Sarah finds herself in his bed the next morning. After a series of complications and a confrontation with Jeff, Sarah eventually learns the truth: her father Earl knew of the affair and she was conceived shortly after her mother's return to him. Realizing she is in love with Jeff, Sarah reconciles with him, and they decide to marry on the condition that she stays away from Beau.
- Original title
- Rumor Has It
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Reiner
- Writers
- Ted Griffin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Aniston · Sarah Huttinger; Kevin Costner · Jeff Daly; Shirley MacLaine · Katharine Richelieu; Mark Ruffalo · Beau Burroughs; Richard Jenkins · Earl; Mena Suvari · Annie
- Genres
- romantic comedy; romance; comedy
- Themes
- family secrets; identity; romance
- Tone and mood
- romantic; comedic
- Setting
- Pasadena, California and San Francisco, 1997
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; comedy; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Graduate
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office disappointment.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 21% · scale: percentage · review count: 116; Metacritic · score: 35 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Production trivia
- The production was halted and restarted after several cast and crew changes.; The film features an uncredited appearance by Kathy Bates.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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