RETURN TO ME -- movie reaction -- FIRST TIME WATCHING 

One of the most underrated movies. Bonnie Hunt did a great job.

I own this movie on DVD. The DVD commentary is with Bonnie Hunt and her co-writer. He also played a small part. He was the guy with the hair transplants. The movie is filled with Bonnie Hunt's family and friends including Bonnie's husband, brother and sister. There are also local Chicago actors including Belushu and Dick Cusack the father of John, Joan and Ann Cusack. He played Mr Bennington. I like this movie. It is very sweet.

There aren't many people that have reviewed this movie and I found your channel by looking for it. I feel exactly the same as you about this movie. It moves me in the same way as you. The scene where Bob comes home covered in blood and cries at his door is gut wrenching and the scene where Bob says that he'll always miss Elizabeth, but that he aches for Grace is just as powerful and always moves me to tears. Thanks for all the "feels."

Another hidden gem of a movie.

Hi, Christina. I love this film. I love the entire cast. I cried when David Duchovny came home alone covered in blood. I am choking back tears as I write this. I can see the tears in your eyes. I have always had a big crush on Bonnie Hunt. You can imagine how I feel about her now, because of this film. I spent a week in Rome as a kid, staying in an apartment just like the one Grace stayed in. I now see myself hanging out with ‘old guys’ just like in this film. This film is just on target on so many levels.

This is one of my all time faves, it's just perfection. Bonnie Hunt is a treasure, such a great actress in everything she does but she wrote & directed this one, too! Such a wonderful job! Casting is perfect & all the characters are fleshed out, the side characters are just so good.

LOVE this movie. A classic in my family. The restaurant was filmed at the Chicago institution Twin Anchors, which is known for their ribs. Frank Sinatra's favorite whenever he came into town! It's a very good restaurant and bar, and was also briefly featured in The Dark Knight. Another fun fact is the guy whose picture gets into the Monkey House is Dick Cusack, father of Joan and John Cusack and a Chicago character actor in his own right. He's also in a bunch of Andrew Davis movies including The Fugitive, and he's briefly in another lovely Chicago rom-com, While You Were Sleeping.

Just saw your reaction and loved it! Yes Binnie Hunt did a fantastic job. Adding to the fun facts, in her commentary she explained that when the nun rings the bicycle bell what the other nun says in Italian is "Everytime a bell rings an angel gets his wings" a homage to Frank Capra and "It's a Wonderful Life". And of course with my username she earned a special place in my heart.

This is my favorite romantic comedy/ tearjerker. Bonnie Hunt is amazing, this film is extremely well written, has incredible dialogue and can tug it your heart strings from a dozen different directions. Until the last few years, I'm 56, I had never really suffered much loss. I lost my grandparents when I was a teenager, and a couple of uncles. I absolutely adored. Lost my best friend from high school a few months after we graduated, he drowned a few days before he was to start college. The biggest loss in my life was my divorce. And anyone who has been through a divorce from someone they loved with all their heart, I can tell you there is no difference between it, a death and a divorce. Except you were left by choice instead of circumstance and chance. I spent 18 years with my ex, I met her in July 15th. 1987, she met my replacement on July 15th, 2005. She called me a week later and told me it was over that we were getting a divorce. 6 weeks later, she was living with him and I was gone. Problem is, no one told my heart. One of the things that this movie does to touch my soul is the whole heart connection. When I laid my head on her chest I would listen to her heart. She did the same to me. We all know that the brain is what dictates. Love, communication, attachment, but why does it feel like the heart is the real culprit? The last few years of taught me a lesson. It started when my mom's wife passed away. That was the first real impact that I'm getting older and going to be losing people permanently. 9 months later I got COVID, I spent 16 days on a ventilator with a 1% chance of surviving. It destroyed me physically and disabled me permanently. Then my mom got COVID and her early stages of dementia accelerated in 1 week and she was gone. The body lingered for 6 months, but she was gone. And then my dad passed away, when I suddenly found myself a disabled patriarch of the family. Just fighting to get better. The worst part was the nightmares. I've had nightmares ever since my divorce, usually just her being in one hurts. But they shifted after covid, PTSD made me have nightmares two to three times a day of being dead, of losing my arm which no longer functions and is in pain because of covid, I have a zombie dream once and I woke up laughing. So I finally got therapy, just to try and get rid of the nightmares so I could sleep a little again. My experience in the nightmarish aftermath of being destroyed by that virus. And then we only spoke about my ex. I shared the secrets that not even my family knows and it seemed to help. If anyone is out there dealing with this kind of loss, I promise you talking about it to someone you can trust makes a difference. Difference. Just holding it all inside and bottled up makes it more painful because there's no one to talk to. The nightmares have been reduced to one or two a week now. I can't be thankful enough for my therapist. And I'm an hour at the point where I can let go of all the pain, my heart is always going to yearn for her, she's the mother of my children and my soulmate, I am just no longer hers. I guess I love this movie so much because of the heart connection, but also never taking for granted the positive aspects of life. Life is fragile, in the blink of an eye. It can be gone. Enjoy everyone you love for as long as you can.

One thing that makes me sad because this was the final of Carroll O'Connor before he passed away.

"I miss Elizabeth. I'll always miss her. But I ache for Grace." Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Laura Orrico. Casting Notes Fact: David Alan Grier and Bonnie Hunt also worked together in Jumanji (1995) with Robin Williams. Location Location Fact: There really is a bicycle shop named Rudy's on Irving Park that opened in 1937. The spectacular panoramic view of Chicago at night, is on the roof of 333 Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. The Rest Of The Story Fact: In this movie, Joely Richardson plays the role of a woman who dies from a head injury due to a freak accident. Her real-life sister, Natasha Richardson, would suffer the same fate 9 years later. Natasha's heart was also donated. Gorilla Wangler Fact: The 10 year old male gorilla in the movie who plays Sidney is Kwan. He still lives at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Kwan is now a silverback over 30 years old and has fathered six offspring. He is a fantastic father and is loved by all. As of the Spring of 2022, Kwan is 33 years-old.

Great 'laughter through tears' reaction!

This would have been a wonderful romantic comedy without the ensemble but WITH them, the movie moves up to being truly charming.

When I first watched this film, I kinda figured out he first part, with losing his wife and Minnie getting it. When I became immersed is when he sank down to grief in front of the door with their dog. Powerful scene. Great film and review. If you like this kind of story - and it seems apparent you do - you must see "Fools Rush In," with Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek. It will change your world.

Before Bonnie Hunt was an actor she was a nurse

I'm a first time viewer to your channel. Return To Me is one of my favorite movies. I would like to make a recommendation for a future movie review that I think you would love. The movie is "Chances Are" from the 80s I believe, its with Cybil Shepard, Ryan O'Neil and a young Robert Downey Jr. Best wishes.

My Dad's favorite movie, he has friends like them, and music he likes . Because of a fan of the two couples, one of my favorites.Check out the soundtrack. James Belushi, younger brother of Jim, from Saturday Night Live in 70s-80s. Watch James great in movie Joe Somebody. This is Minney's movie, not Good Will Hunting. And Hunt, always not top star in movies but you remember her later.

I think you'll enjoy "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

If you watch all the scenes during the credits, you'll notice that at the wedding, Bonnie Hunt's character is pregnant again, and the priest they tried to set Minnie Driver up with is back in the collar and performed the wedding. I loved the older group of buddies, and Bonnie and Jim seemed very much like a real couple. Not pretty, not romantic, but real and loving.

Thank you. This is one of my favorite moves. Have you watched DAN IN REAL LIFE?

David and Minnie make this movie work. Without them... this movie is unbearably sappy and formulaic. Thankfully David and Minnie provide enough heart (haha) to make this movie watchable.

Isn't Bonnie Hunt wonderful? I have seen only a few reactions to this movie. I wish more reactors knew about it.

Hello Christina

Definitely a movie requiring an entire box of Kleenex . . .

If you think this movie is romantic you should watch Orgazmo lol.