There are so many things to like about this romantic comedy. We are, as any regular reader of our reviews knows, smitten with sentimental date flicks. The cast, the setting, even some of the lines of The Bachelor were ready to entertain and even delight us. Anna-Maria has broken out giggling remembering, "I don’t care about your vagina, I just want to marry you." Unfortunately, the basic story lacked comedic and dramatic punch and will likely sink the whole project. When will Hollywood learn that it can’t make a good movie or much money, for that matter, just by draping a clever premise with beautiful people and cute dialogue? The only thing truly reliable and bankable is a good story well told.

If we think about even the most sentimental, far-fetched romantic comedy, the couple may be cheery or pleasant, but on the inside they are suffering from isolation, indecision, choosing the wrong person, or some other deep problem that will ruin their lives if not remedied. As the couple tangle in their relationship, each person goes through some major transformation, shedding phobias, selfishness, greed, and other vices. The comedic crucible is really a purifying process to make each worthy of the reward of being with his or her chosen one. In Bachelor, the couple is seemingly meant for each other, but it is more cute circumstance rather than a confrontation with each other’s insufficiencies that drives the story.

For a scene or two, Jimmie worries that he is giving up his true love, but as the deadline quickly approaches, he tracks down his old girlfriends. These ladies run the gamut of differences, from insecure and clingy, to hard-boiled cop, to a diva who doesn’t even remember him. Even with the enticement of $100,000,000, no woman who knows Jimmie wants him. There are some clever twists and interesting roles here. Mariah Carey plays the haughty opera diva who doesn’t even remember Jimmie. Brooke Shields plays Buckley, a debutante whose family fortune is slipping. In a cute sequence at the altar, she stalls the wedding three times while trying to digest the conditions for getting and keeping the money, but even for all the loot, she bolts when she learns she has to have a child. Supporting roles by Ed Asner and Hal Holbrook add charm and off-kilter advice.