America's Sweethearts

America's Sweethearts is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Joe Roth and written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan. It stars Julia Roberts, Crystal, John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Seth Green, Alan Arkin, and Christopher Walken in smaller roles. Plot Veteran publicist Lee Phillips has recently been fired from his position at a major film studio. He is invited by studio head Dave Kingman, with whom he has a contentious relationship, to a private screening of Time Over Time, a new time travel thriller starring Gwen Harrison and Eddie Thomas. Eddie and Gwen were a beloved husband-and-wife team dubbed “America’s Sweethearts” whose marriage fell apart when Gwen had an affair with her foppish co-star Hector, after which Eddie suffered a mental breakdown and checked into a remote New Age wellness retreat. When Lee arrives, Kingman reveals he has nothing to screen: the movie’s eccentric director, Hal Weidmann, is refusing to release the completed film, insisting on premiering it himself at the upcoming press junket. Kingman is desperate to get hold of the film, as the studio has recently suffered a string of flops, and Time Over Time is potentially the last Eddie and Gwen vehicle ever made. Unsure when, or even if, the film will arrive, Kingman begs Lee to promote the movie at the junket by convincing the press that Eddie and Gwen are back together, reluctantly promising to restore Lee’s job if he succeeds. Lee recruits naive rookie publicist Danny to assist him. Lee visits Gwen, who now resides with Hector, to persuade her to attend the junket. Gwen is revealed to be spoiled and self-absorbed, nothing like the lovable “girl next door” characters she portrays on-screen. Kiki, Gwen’s sister and long-suffering personal assistant, convinces Gwen that appearing at the junket will help her floundering acting career and public image. Later, at the wellness retreat, Lee secretly bribes the retreat’s spiritual guru with a luxury car to convince a reluctant Eddie that he is ready to face Gwen again.