MIAMI RHAPSODY

SYNOPSIS: When her long-term boyfriend causually asks her to marry him, Gwen realises she is pretty ambivalent about the whole business. In one way she very much wants to marry him, but looking around at her family she wonders if there's any real point.

BOTTOM LINE: A film best described as Woody Allen in a tropical locale from a woman's point of view. Parker uses her wit, intelligence and comic timing in a story where every relationship appears to be doomed, including her own. Marriage is out and passion is in amongst newly-engaged Gwen's (Parker) entire immediate family from her outwardly happy parents to her recently hitched younger sister (Gugino). Even though she loves Matt (Bellows), her family's rampant mass infidelity is giving her serious doubts about the chance anyone has for a successful marriage. Her relatives can't keep their pants on, but they're still pressuring her to set a date and plan the ceremony. As Gwen tries to come to terms with her own emotions and ideas on the subject, her relationship starts to take a turn for the worse. Will she make it too the altar? I'll leave that discovery up to you. Parker is convincing and charming as the angst-ridden Gwen. The plot runs a fairly predictable course, but she makes it seem fresh and funny. Thanks to some clever writing and a great supporting cast, led by Farrow in one of her best roles post-Woody, this film takes a few unique twists and turns down the road to love. Parker and company aren't reinventing the romance wheel, but they put on an admirable and amusing show.