Ok, the premise of the movie is pretty canned, and some ideas/montages downright dumb or silly, but the overall
presentation is a bit out of the box and humorous. The movie
moves at a brisk pace, and uses and lambasts a lot of cliches about marriage. One would think the comedy would be predictable, but it manages to create an off-beat edge that tickles. Supporting characters, including the older actors,
keep things diverse or outright wacky. Zellweger brings a pouting charm while O'Donnell is pure naivety and his fat side-kick delivers some good laughs. Again, the movie is a success on it's own terms because of the brisk pace that stays consistently outrageous and doesn't get stuck in any plodding emotional exposition, sentimentality, or melodrama. Fun flick.

I liked the movie he made when he was first starting out, as a novice director, LEON THE PIG FARMER (don't let the awful title put you off). Of course LTPF is a very different kettle of fish than THE BACHELOR, but both movies exhibit a very vibrant borrowing from silent film and its subtleties. Sinyor also directed STIFF UPPER LIPS, the parody movie that gave stuffy Merchant-Ivory movies a good shaking up. PIG FARMER is out on DVD but only in the UK, in the meantime let's go to THE BACHELOR and see what's up. Well, it didn't do well at the box office, and studio moguls blamed Sinyor for its failure; what a blow for him, and he hasn't been given the chance to make another movie in the six years since then! (Although happily BOB THE BUTLER will be coming out hopefully by the end of the year, the movie that re-unites Sinyor with his BACHELOR star Brooke Shields.

Chris O'Donnell was doing very well, too, and then along came THE BACHELOR and a few other flops and before long he was regarded as box office poison. There was something about him that perhaps people didn't like, shame too, because he's definitely capable and he's also ready to step up and make a fool of himself for a laugh, something not every actor is willing to do. All these things combine in THE BACHELOR, a comedy romp set in San Francisco in which Chris plays the heir to a fortune of $120 million dollars, but there's a catch, he must marry within 24 hours, and the woman he loves, Renee Zellweger, isn't ready to say yes. So he proposes to a lot of women during the course of the movie. Naturally they all think he's crazy. This has its origin in the old silent classic 7 CHANCES, with Buster Keaton, but it provides a lot of opportunities for some talented actresses. Look out for wonderful Stacy Edwards, the deaf heroine of IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, in a lighter vein here! But the show belongs to Chris O'Donnell, and to a lesser extent Renee Zellweger in whose career this is only a blip. There she is winning Oscar after Oscar, and meanwhile Chris O'Donnell is making independent films after a long post-Bachelor hiatus. What a world!

Anyhow if you live in San Francisco, add another star to THE BACHELOR because you'll be proud we live in such a cool, beautiful city.

However you might deduct a star because the "extras" on this DVD are sub-par. You know there must be dozens of deleted bloopers from Mariah Carey's scenes alone, and yet for this presentation we get nothing!

I don't see why, when people see a film based on a really, really old Buster Keaton silent movie Seven Chances (1925), they instantly hate the up-to-date remake. It's never going to an Oscar winning movie, but lets face it, not many movies I watch (!) are.

OK, my first quibble is the horrible, horrible, region 1 cover, which you can see on the main page for this DVD. Chris O'Donnell looks positively ancient on it. The region 2 cover looks so much better. Is that a grey hair I see? Also Renee Zellweger obviously doesn't have the standing in Hollywood today to have someone do her hair for her. The poodle perm is so not a good look.

Look out for Brooke Shields, as an ex of Jimmy's, and also Mariah Carey, playing a very diva-ish (opera) singer. That must have been hard for her to play. She also plays an ex of Jimmy's.

The best scenes in the whole movie have to be towards the end, when Jimmy's $100 million, gimme a bride newspaper advert appears. Literally thousands of brides appear and chase him, and several of them are actually guys in drag. I would not have liked to see the dry cleaning bill after all those ladies (and gents) were finished with them!

The worst bits about this movie was the horrendous cliche about men being unable to commit, and giving up their 'bachelorhood' and no longer being able to sew their wild oats as the saying goes. Men are horribly portrayed in this, including an old geezer trying to give Jimmy his 15-year-old daughter as a bride. Women are also horrifically portrayed; when all the brides gathered, none of them are "classically" attractive. They were all nearly ugly, old, butch, fat, you name it, all of womankind's flaws were represented. And to make it even worse, some of them were MEN!!!

Not many people will agree with my review, so bring on the bad votes guys, cos I'm ready for it. So there. It's not an Oscar winning movie. But it's good to waste an hour or two. Now go vote for my Pearl Harbor review please.

Years before ABC started their own "Reality TV show" about a Bachelor having to choose from a group of marriage-minded women, there was this film, which I didn't see until just recently. Like most romantic comedies, it follows the same formula of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy grovels to win back girl and they marry and live happily ever after. Pretty standard, unoriginal, and uninspired...and this film starts off that way and doesn't really take off until the bachelor (played by Chris O'Donnell) views a video will of his grandfather. Therein lies the premise...The bachelor is the last of his friends to get married, and his grandfather wants to ensure that his genetic line doesn't die off if his grandson doesn't do his manly duty: matrimony and parenthood. But the grandfather dies and makes a condition on the inheritence (shades of "Brewster's Millions"--which is thankfully mentioned in this film)...the bachelor will inherit $100 million only if he marries before he turns 30 years old to the exact minute of his birth. And, the marriage has to last at least ten years and produce offspring before he will get to see the money. Since the bachelor turns 30 a week later, he begins calling his exs in desperate attempt to find a bride, since the love of his life was insulted by his non-proposal earlier (instead of "will you marry me?" he states his case pro and con regarding marriage and tells Renee Zellweger "you win!").

I loved the surprise cameos of his exs, which I won't reveal here so first time viewers can be surprised themselves. They cameos of some famous ladies were a nice touch to lift this film out of the standard cliches of the romantic comedy genre. What clinches this movie for me, in terms of originality and humor is the running of the brides through the streets of San Francisco. Its completely zany and unbelievable, but romantic comedies do have quirks like these to stand out above the rest. The scene is just so outlandishly funny and well done that I thought it saved the movie as a whole. Its reminiscent of "the running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain...and considering that Chris O'Donnell played Ernest Hemingway in "In Love and War", I thought that was a nice touch.

There is one major discrepancy with this film. The brides chasing the groom begins at the Amtrak station and its not long until they are running the streets of San Francisco (North Beach?)...yet that is a near impossibility. The Amtrak station is actually across the bay in Emeryville, not San Francisco...so anyone who has been there knows that the makers of this film used a lot of creative license to make the climatic scene flow.

Overall, an amusing film, though by no means a great one. It is entertaining and takes some well deserved pokes at the expectations that both men and women have regarding marriage (loss of freedom for men, fairy-tale fantasy for women, as one amazon reviewer pointed out). See it for what it is...good for a few laughs.

Synopsis:
Jimmie Shannon (Chris O'Donnell), an unabashed bachelor asks his girlfriend Anne (Renee Zellweger) to marry him. But his uncertainty about the change in lifestyle causes him to botch the proposal so badly that she refuses. Soon after, his grandfather dies leaving him 100 million dollars in assets, with one catch. Jimmy must be married by his 30th birthday or he won't get a cent. The bad news is, his 30th birthday is in 24 hours. From there begins a rush against time, first to find his girlfriend and try to change her mind, and then when that fails to find any eligible woman who will agree to marry him on short notice. Will Jimmie realize that he wants to get married after all, and will he get the girl he actually loves?

About the Movie:
In many ways, The Bachelor is an utterly delightful movie, despite its flaws here and there.

One of the most refreshing things I found in this movie was the positive view that was eventually given to marriage. O'Donnel's character goes from a single man who enjoys his single and somewhat philanderous lifestyle to a man who understands the joy of committing heart, soul and body to another person. He comes to realize that some things in life are more important than money or sex. The neatest part about all this is how he comes to this realization. It comes partly through his attempts to find a wife on short notice, but mostly it comes in the voice of a role model that is almost universally denigrated in movies these days... a priest. I found that to be a nice change.

Plotwise, this film is standard romantic comedy material. Boy loses girl, boy seeks girl, girl makes things difficult, boy gets girl. What makes this movie special is the offbeat way the whole situation is presented and eventually resolved. It's just plain fun, especially that memorable chase scene near the end.

The supporting cast (which includes Hal Holbrook, Artie Lang, James Cromwell and Edward Asner) is excellent in this film, though at times a little overplayed. James Cromwell's priest is downright charming and O'Donnell plays his role as the uncertain bachelor rather convincingly. Together with the rest of the cast they make for some great and entertaining comedic moments that are laugh out loud funny.

The only really low spot as far as acting goes is Anne. Renee Zellweger is ok in her role as Anne, but as an actress, I feel she has a tendency to come off as a ditzy blond. Her character suffered a little from that, making her, at least for me, a lot less appealing as the female lead than she could have been.

Like many comedies these days, the Bachelor also suffers from the sex syndrome so prevalent in modern movies. Jimmie has clearly slept around a lot in the past, and it's implied that he and Anne are 'intimate.' Just once I'd like to see a romantic comedy without any sex involved, with a guy who's saving himself for the one he wants to spend his life with. I guess that's too much to hope for. But, I suppose in this movie, the lifestyle fits why he's not so eager to abandon it.

The other issue with this film is the language. The language in The Bachelor is often unnecessarily crude (usually sexual references or unfortunate potty colloquialisms) pushing the rating up to PG-13. It could have been a better, more family friendly film had they kept some of the language a little tamer and less earthy. It hurt the movie, and it didn't have to.

In the end, some of this film is a little clichéd, but overall it holds together pretty well, and makes the payoff at the end definitely worth it. Over all, the Bachelor is a fairly entertaining movie that makes a great date film (if you can overlook the language).

About the DVD:
The Bachelor comes in a cardboard snap case on a single-sided DVD in Widescreen and fullscreen formats with Dolby Digital 5.1 or regular stereo surround sound. This movie's audio tracks are only available in English, and the subtitles only come in English as well. There are no foreign language subtitle or audio tracks on this DVD.

The picture on this DVD is exceptionally clean, even on high resolution screens. This is what DVDs are supposed to look like. The sound is decent, though nothing that will knock you out of your seat.

The special features on this DVD are what you normally see on budget DVD releases, the theatrical trailer for the movie and a cast filmography section. This DVD release has the added bonus, however, of being a PC DVD-ROM with extra features when played on a computer. These include a script to screen feature, access to the original theatrical website and a links to wedding resources.

I've always found the script to screen feature on DVD's to be fascinating. While it's really only any interest to those who enjoy the finer points of film making, it's interesting to read the script while the movie plays. I do have a complaint however. The Script to screen feature forces you to watch the movie in fullscreen while reading the script. As a fan of widescreen, I found that restriction a little annoying.

Bottom Line: A fun film with some flaws on a budget DVD release with one significant extra. I'd give it 3 Stars.

For men, marriage is often thought of as a major subtraction. Men feel it's all about surrendering their freedom to their new wives, not being able to hang out w/the guys anymore & having to ask for permission to do stuff that they used to do routinely. Wild bachelor parties are typically a symbolic gesture of the guy's last night of happiness and freedom before his autonomy is erased.

For women, on the other hand, the institution of marriage is often thought of in fairy-talesque ways. The prince marries the princess and they live happily ever after. The gentleman chooses the most romantic locale and the most perfect day to pop the question. Then, when he does ask for her hand in marriage, he does it with a poetic eloquence that would rival Keats.

The present movie pokes fun @ both men and women for their pre-conceived notions about marriage. Chris O'Donnell plays a happy-go-lucky independent male who has not yet hit 30. He has seen his friends get "picked off" one-by-one by the marital epidemic.

Meanwhile, the ultra-adorable Renee Zelwegger plays a young woman who has been bred on all the popular fiction about how "perfect" everything will be when she gets married. She's also expecting a breathtakingly perfect evening in which her man will offer her the rest of his life.

As you have probably guessed, these two protaganists fall in love but their different viewpoints cause a great deal of friction. The result is nothing short of a hilarious satire on the differences in how men & women look over a lifelong bond.

There are some zany twists & turns in the plot, but that is the main gist of the storyline. If you like Romantic comedies, this one is a dandy. I'd recommend this film for anyone who has ever been married. And, if you've never been married......I'd recommend this DVD even more!

This movie just felt so cheesy and its so pathetic how this guy asks every woman to marry him. Its a fun date movie but that's all, nothing special. I just felt that the whole movie was recycled and I'm one of those people that wants a little more originality to movies. Besides it reminds me of those cheesy reality tv shows that they have on tv. It just didn't work for me.

The Bachelor is a hilarious movie about a man that is afraid of committment, but has already found the woman of his dreams. It's how extreme circumstances, make him discover what he wanted a bit earlier than he was ready to. It's lots of fun, and the ending is extremely hilarious!! It is, however, a bit stereotypical in all the men in the film stress how marriage is the inevitable ball and chain... and all the women in the film, are ready for the committment, which is such a joke. However, the film is hilarious and all the crazy escapades that occur just had to the hilarity of it all. Highly recommended!

I totally thought this was going to be a movie that only women could enjoy, which didn't bother me since I am one, but my husband and his friend watched it with me and they laughed many times and enjoyed it. I guess they enjoyed watching Chris O'donell get himself into trouble. I also enjoyed it, it wasn't so weet that it would give you a toothache, but it was enjoyable, and funny and I thought Renee Zellwigger and Chris O'donell gave great performances. If you enjoyed this movie, also try the wedding planner with Jenniefr Lopez, I liked that one even better!

hey thanks new line for having the guts to put out the edited version of this film & blast from the past i just wish more studios would have the balls to do so. can you imagine what would happen if that took place you guys would make more money think about it. people having the choice to buy edited or non edited versions of the films i thought that would be the case when DVD first came on the scene , but have yet to see any change . i love this film & did'nt have to worry about muting certain words or images i could just enjoy a good film i still can't understand why hollywood does'nt embrace choice among the public i mean there are wonderful films out that if they were tweaked would be great stressless watching for everybody an example would be lethal weapon & die hard films . but thanks again new line for having the guts maybe others will follow keep up the good work oh by the way where is the DVD of this edited title , just wishing thanks for reading . fan Highly Recommend to buy for families.
P.S. My Pet Peeve in film is profanity not content some but not all well maybe doc hollywood is an expection .

Jimmy's(Chris O'donnell) grandfather offers Jimmy 100 million dollars but there's conditions. He must marry her before he reaches 30 years old, which happens to be in a day! He must spend every night with her each month, and it has to last 10 years! He wants it to be with Anne(Renee Zellweger), the woman he loves. Also, appearences from Mariah Carey and Jennifer Esposito(Spin City) With James Cromwell(The General's Daughter) as the priest! A great movie, and wonderful acting!! See it today!!

So, I saw the ad for this one and thought, Chris O'Denell as a loveable Bachelor, looks like fun...but was I ever in for a let down. THis movie is just awful. And on a side note, the depiction of 30-something women as gold-digging, husband-hungry, cometitive maniacs is rather bizzare.

What an utterly terrible movie! What an odd look at marriage! What a waste of talent (Renee and Chris' talents are lost in this cinematic mess)! What a cheesy and predictable plot! What a terrible ending! What a waste of money! What a waste of time!!!

Honestly, it doesn't get much worse than this. I admitt, cheesy and predictable can be fun (eg. "The Cutting Edge" "Never Been Kissed" or "Miss Congenialtiy"), but this movie misses all the marks. When it's not boring, it's just ridiculous.

Try "Cricle of Friends" or "Bridget Jones' Diary" on for size instead. Really, you'll thank me.

Chris O'Donnell is a bachelor with a serious fear of marriage. In order to inherit from his grandfather, he needs to marry. The obvious choice is the girlfriend he loves but he botches the proposal and she says no. He then chases down various ex-girlfriends looking for one who will marry him. Chris O'Donnell and Renee Z. have good chemistry. I thought the film was light and hilarious. I loved it.

I am a sucker for romance. Anything with just the slightest amount of sap will make me happy. The first time I saw this movie, I loved it. I loved it so much, I went and bought it. Now I've seen it a few more times... and, well, I don't love it as much. Since I see so many movies over and over again, I get to know what makes a truly great romantic comedy... this isn't one of them.

The idea is good. A man who doesn't want to marry has to. Sounds like a great romantic comedy. I guess it's just little things that sort of make me groan inside. I think part of it is how many women are willing to just take their lives and surrender them to a man they don't even know--after he asks all the women he does know and they turn him down. Also, how is it that these women conveniently have wedding dresses? While the sea of white running up and down the streets of San Francisco is a good image, it's also pretty corny.

Renee Zellweger saves this movie. She's hilarious and charming--it's no wonder Chris O'Donnell's character (Jimmie) falls in love with her. Every scene of her after one of Jimmie's proposals are excellent.

It's a decent movie to see if you're in the mood for a no-thinking chick flick. There are parts that I love to watch. Just beware--Mariah Carey has a cameo.

After I saw this movie, I became crazy for it because it's so funny, and it has the very lovely Renee Zellweger. After his grandpa bites the big one, Jimmy Shannon (Chris O'Donnell in a very funny role), a marriage shy bachelor, learns he will inherit a hundred million bucks unless he gets married before he turns 30 years old in 24 hours. Only problem is he messed up his proposal to his girlfriend Anne (lovely Zellweger), and she wont consider marrying him now unless he's totally wanting to strap on the old ball and chain. Now Jimmy's only hope is to ask every woman he knows to marry him. Oh boy! Soon things go from bad to worse when his buddy Marco puts his face on the cover of the newspaper, and now every woman in the city is dying to be his wife. Very funny, and charming all at once. O'Donnell can sure run fast especially with a thousand brides on his tail! I just hope my wedding will never be like Jimmy's (laughing)!!!

This tired romantic comedy is a con as it is neither comic nor romantic. The perfunctory plot has Jimmie (O'Donnell) as a fun-loving guy that is certainly in no rush to settle down. When his grandfather dies and promises him $120 million on the condition that he gets married within 24 hours. The rest of the movie basically concerns his worries over trying to win back Anne (Zellweger) whilst he `struggles' with the dilemma of whether he only wants to marry her for the cash or not. Of course, this leads to a lot of running after Anne, who dumped him previously due to a botched marriage proposal the night before. In between his friends try and fix him up with a few celebrity cameos such as Mariah Carey.

O'Donnell is quite unable to carry a movie by himself and Zellweger's endearing character isn't on screen nearly as much as you'd like her to be. The list of cameos is perhaps reason enough to watch this, and to be fair there is one genuinely funny scene where Jimmie is chased down the street by hundreds of wannabe brides. Yet its sappy conclusion and too-perfect-to-be true realisation of Jimmie at the end that he does love Anne make this one movie to miss.

This is a awesome movie and I totally think that you should see it! Just remember that it is rated PG-13, not PG, cause they say stuff that little kids either won't get, or will be much embaressed by it. But it is so funny, from the middle of the movie, you are shouting at the TV saying, "Aw- c'mon! What happens!" So, it's a really good movie!!!

This movie is by no means a perfect movie. It has its flaws but that doesn't take away from just how likable it is. Ladies, this is the movie to watch with your boyfriends/husbands/whatevers. They'll enjoy it just as much as you. Guys, buy this bad boy and watch it with your significant other. They'll love it and you'll like it, too. It's not a "chick flick" at all. It's a very funny romantic comedy that never gets sappy or dippy.

"The Bachelor" looks and feels like it was conceived, written, and filmed over a long-weekend, as if it were a rehearsal for a real movie. Watching this is absolutely exhausting, as the script limps along in mind-numbingly obvious directions. Overall the acting is poor, but is otherwise shackled by inane dialogue. I'm ashamed for not having found something better to with with the 90+ minutes this movie stole from me.

This movie was critically destroyed when it was released, but it is not that bad, it is a harmless little romantic comedy. The worst thing about it is that its view of male-female relationships is so backward - especially in a movie set in modern-day San Francisco!. Chris O'Donnell is not a great actor, but he is good portraying this earnest, somewhat shallow man. And Renee, well, she is the best thing in the picture, she shines, as usual. And the scene where O'Donnell fumbles his marriage proposal to Zellweger - in many ways the central scene of the movie - is pretty funny. I haven't seen Buster Keaton original movie, but I don't doubt it was superior to this, but this movie is a nice time-killer in a rainy friday night.

Forget the critics who slam this movie just because it doesn't measure up to "Gone With The Wind" or something like that. See "The Bachelor" for yourself with a relaxed attitude and an open mind and you'll have some fun, I guarantee it. I admit, things are exxagerated a bit, but that's exactly what makes this movie so funny. Imagine yourself proposing to all of your ex-partners to see if one will marry you within 24 hours in order to inherit 100 million bucks! Again, I'm not going to sit here and say that it was the greatest movie ever, but I definitely had some fun watching it. Worth a rental or two.

This perceptive and clever tale was probably written by Shakespeare. How cool! Man has to marry quickly, or lose inheritance. Nearly as good as the Three Stooges version, this art house presentation....OK, OK, OK. Obviously this movie was made to make a buck. But it does have it's moments. Zelwinger is sooo pretty! The greedy mob of brides descending on San Fransisco is rather amusing, and it's neat to see the old guys show up in a new film. Zelwinger and O'Donnell pay it straight, and that makes it even funnier. Now, there is something weird about the timeline. I didn't now a person could call in a classified ad in the middle of the night and see it appear in a newspaper that has already been pressed. So, I guess we just have to ignore details and physics and things like that. And it has the happiest ending that has ever taken place on a fire escape! If your girlfriend is the special ed type, she'll love it. Order the cheese pizza now!

Easy on the eyes, and not too complicated, this nearly B-MOVIE is actually kind of fun. Great to see O'Donnell in a different kind of role. Zelwinger ofcourse is great - her character is a bit annoying at times - , but it's the cameos that help move the film along. He must Marry soon! Or he stands to lose millions. Desperate, he runs a classified ad, and it somehow appears in the next paper. How did he do that? It takes me three days to run an ad. The scene of goldiggers chasing him around San Fransisco is as funny as it is stupid. Citizen Kane it's not, but it's OK. She'll like it.

The Bachelor is a movie that never gets old. The lessons of marriage presented really come across. Superb acting from Chris O'Donnell, Renee Zellweger, Hal Holbrook and Edward Asner.

This is a cute love story, with one of my all-time favorite movie lines...The priest...in the boat..."It's a wonderful thing, as time goes by, to be with someone who looks into your face, when you've gotten old, and still sees what you think you look like." Oh..the tears would run for a year if a man ever really said that to a woman!!

I don't mind implausible storied, but only if they can pull it off. I was sad to discover that Chris O'Donnell can't act. hadn't noticed before because he was well cast in a few other roles, but fortunately never had to carry a story. Part of the problem might go to the director. In fact the director is highly suspect - the timing was off and there is no evidence that the man in charge had any clear view of what he wanted to bring out in the characters or storyline. I was sorry I spent the money on the rental. Don't bother.

This movie is Fun. Just fun. Not brilliant, nothing new, and not hilarious. But it is fun and enjoyable. This is a wonder film to own or rent. Not only does it provide a laugh, but also a smile. It's a perfect date movie. The Bachelor has its moments. Chris O'Donnell is perfectly casted as a bachelor learning to take the next step to marriage. His supporting cast is wonderful as well. They make friendship worthwhile with moments of exasperation and frustration, but that's what friendship is all about! I enjoyed this movie. I didn't give this movie too much expectations but it surprised me. It gave me a wonderful flick that I'll be recommending to friends .... It's not your Jim Carey humor, it's not your typical romance movie, and it's not your cheesy remake either. It's a nice, warm and friendly movie geared for those who likes comedy-romances. It's a fun movie. It's better than expected and it's enjoyable.

Jimmie Shannon was to get marry (with some conditions attached, of course!) before his 30th birthday in order to the $100 million inheritance from his grandfather. The BIG problem was... Jimmie's birthday was the next day and he had to get hitched within 24 hours. The BIGGER problem was... Jimmie was still not ready for the idea of a marriage. But still, in order to get the inheritance, Jimmie proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Anne, anyway. Anne rejected his proposal straightaway as she could see that he was not sincere. Watch through the show to see ways that Jimmie came up with in order to get the inheritance... and whether he could get it , and Anne's hand, in the end.

Watch this movie if you want a/many laugh(s)!

Chris O'Donnell certainly has the potential to be a great actor. He should not waste is time selling just his pretty face. The plot was non-existent and when it existed it was too transparrent.

We love Renée Zellweger, her roll in Jerry Macquire was perfect. She had virtually no lines worth remembering. The best part of the film came when the Priest was speaking with O'Donnel on the lake near the Palace of Fine Arts. O'Donnell realized what love was, at least for him.

One more point. Unless Renée Zellweger's character and that of her roommate were making more than $500,000 per year, they could not have afforded that appartment. I have been in that appartment, the rent was $5,500 per month and the condo was worth more than $1.5 million. You figure!

The Bachelor is a movie with great intentions. The plot is cute, even though unrealistic. The actors are even good. However, that je ne sais quoi, the indescribable something, that all great movies have is missing from this film. I found myself during the comedic scenes wanting to laugh, but not finding any reason to do so. The touching scenes almost warmed my heart, but not quite. I wanted to like the movie, but I couldn't. The characters were unlikeable, however well acted. The only enjoyable part was Anne played by Renee Zellwegger and, unfortunately, too much of the movie was absent of her. Somewhere along the road to greatness, The Bachelor stopped at mediocrity. Trust me, this one isn't worth the trip.

I found this movie to be silly and at times irritating. It did have a few (very few) touching moments, and 1 or 2 chuckles but this is NOT a keeper. The film is blatant in its use of stereotypes (desperate women/weak men). It was hard to be sympathetic with Chris O'Donnell's character, when he was willing to throw away the "love of his life" for 100Million $, oh, wait, he was making the sacrifice for his employees. And why was everyone (especially the lawyer) so surprised by the amount of money in the estate?

This is a kind of movie, that no, it does not make you think, it does not make you not think, just a movie that you see. Ok, really, this could be consider a chick flick, but I suppose, being that the main star is Chris O'Donnel, I would call it a romantic comedy. This is a funny movie, with some mildly dramatic moments, my grandma cried. {CHICK FLICK, LoL JK.} I think this film had some pretty bad acting, maybe not bad but over the top. Renee Zellweger did not have a big part to me, her character was not realistic in this role. In the final scenes, when she is crying, you would think someone hit her, it was getting to a point where I could not stand it. This is a pretty average 4, not near 5. The beginning had the most comedy, Artie Lange in my opinon saved this film from being a drama. The object of the film is that O'Donnel's character has to marry someone by his 30th birthday and he will get 100 Million dollars from his Grandfather, who recently passed away. There is some humor in the film, I guess females would enjoy it more, it reminded me of Mike Myers "hit", "So I Married an Axe Murder", I could see alot of similar dialouge in here.

Bottom line, an over all good choice, just make sure you have a tissue ready.

Hope I helped either way...

The average, formula-driven romantic comedy goes through several predictable phases: the characters meet, fall in love, are split apart by complications, then get back together for the happy ending. To one degree or another, that adequately describes about 90% of the movies in the genre. Romantic complications can come in many flavors - the return of an old boyfriend/girlfriend, a misunderstanding, a momentary lack of discretion - but they generally serve only two purposes: to inflate the running time and to generate a manufactured conflict. They also represent my least favorite part of any romantic comedy; they invariably feel forced and unnatural. Even in the best films, these occurrence make viewers acutely aware of the seams in the script. And therein lies the biggest problem with The Bachelor - it's a romantic comedy where three-quarters of the plot is devoted to complications.

Arguably, the most important part of a love story (whether it's straight or humorous) is the portion of the film when the characters meet and get to know each other. It's during this period that the audience grows to like and appreciate them as individuals and as a couple. Regardless of what forces are aligned against them, we root for their romance to work. The Bachelor doesn't give us that. It rushes the meeting and the relationship's development by encapsulating three years in about ten minutes. That's hardly enough time to believe that these people love each other or to care whether they spend the rest of their lives (or even the remainder of the movie) together. Actually, the leads, Jimmie (Chris O'Donnell) and Anne (Renee Zellweger), don't turn out to be particularly interesting. They're attractive and likable, to be sure, but neither is compelling. And it's difficult to tell if there's any real chemistry between them, because there are so few scenes when they're on screen at the same time.

Jimmie Shannon is a confirmed bachelor, but, with the approach of the 30th birthday, he has decided that the time has come to settle down. Anne is the only girl for him, but he's afraid of commitment. As a result, his attempt at a romantic marriage proposal turns into a disaster. Instead of asking the expected question, he presents the ring with the less-than-endearing comment, "You win." It's all downhill from there. Within days, Jimmie's fiasco has become an "instant urban legend" and the perfect example of how not to ask for someone's hand in matrimony. His relationship with Anne has never been on less stable ground. And that's when the death of his grandfather (Peter Ustinov) drops a bombshell. In his will, old man Shannon has left a $100 million fortune to Jimmie, but there are conditions. He must get married, stay with the same woman for at least ten years (spending no more than one night apart per month), and have a minimum of one child within the first five years of the union. And there's one additional catch - the wedding must take place before 6:05 pm on Jimmie's 30th birthday, which happens to be a little more than 30 hours away. Upon learning this, Jimmie immediately tries to propose to Anne again, but his approach isn't any more successful, and, after she turns him down a second time, he's forced to look elsewhere - anywhere - to find a bride.

The Bachelor's underlying premise (which is lifted directly from the 1925 Buster Keaton silent film, Seven Chances) would seem to have a great deal of promise if used as the jumping-off point for a madcap comedy, but director Gary Sinyor and screenwriter Steve Cohen play it safe by sticking to the formula. Sinyor's reluctance to do something offbeat is especially disappointing since he was one of the men behind the camera for Leon the Pig Farmer, one of the '90s most strange and charming comedies. The idea of a man engaging in a frantic search for a bride over a 30-hour period should be a great deal funnier than what The Bachelor offers. The film is not without its clever moments. For example, a few of the early scenes are well crafted, especially those that compare the life of a single guy to that of a mustang and the wedding ceremony to a form of human sacrifice. Some of the vignettes featuring ex-girlfriends (cameos by Mariah Carey, Jennifer Esposito, and Brooke Shields) are also enjoyable. Overall, however, there's a lack of fresh material, and not enough moments that genuinely tickle the funny bone.

Given a better script, Chris O'Donnell probably could have carried this movie on his own. He exhibits the requisite charm, charisma, and good looks. The same cannot be said of his leading lady. Renee Zellweger, who was delightful in Jerry Maguire, comes across as a generic girlfriend. The character is shallowly written, with most of her scenes functioning as filler. There are some nice secondary performances by experienced actors Ed Asner, Hal Holbrook, and James Cromwell, but their screen time is minimal. Meanwhile, I wish there had been less exposure for the irritating and over-the-top Artie Lange (Lost & Found), who plays Jimmie's best friend.

The driving force behind this movie was probably the scene of hundreds of women in wedding dresses chasing Chris O'Donnell down a San Francisco street. It's the kind of shot that works better in a trailer or TV ad, where there's no context, than in the film, where there has to be a reason for it. Once again, the idea (would-be brides responding to a newspaper article explaining Jimmie's dilemma) is better than the execution. And one would at least expect The Bachelor's ending to be about something - the triumph of true love over greed, for example (or vice versa). However, the filmmakers were so determined to adhere to the formula that they passed up an opportunity for a better finale than the one we're stuck with. Consequently, this aspect of the movie, like most of The Bachelor, feels like a wasted opportunity.

If you are looking for a thought provoking, intellectual commentary on the state of society, this is not the movie for you. But, if you are looking for a movie you can pop in and sit back and enjoy with a bowl of popcorn, then this is the movie for you.

Chris O'Donnell is Jimmy, a devout bachelor with commitment problems. He is totally in love with girlfriend Anne (Renne Zellweger) but when it comes to the idea of marriage he just can't pull the trigger. So how does this turn into an enjoyable piece of comedy? Jimmy's grandfather dies, and leaves him one-hundred million dollars, but in order to collect it, Jimmy has to get married... within 24 hours! Sure it's unbelievable, and sure it's even outrageous at times. But isn't that why we go to the movies?

O'Donnell is funny and charming, and Zellweger is as adorable as ever. (What guy wouldn't want to marry her?) The cast is filled out nicely by Ed Asner, Hal Holbrook, and Arte Lange (The Norm Show) with cameos by Brooke Shields, and Mariah Carey, not to mention the thousands of women running through the streets of San Francisco in their wedding dresses.

Whether you rent it or buy it, I am confidant that you will enjoy it as much as I did.