Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)

7% of critics liked it
(29 reviews)
59% of users liked it
(17,237 ratings)

A poor woman is the beneficiary of a case of mistaken identity in this comedy. Luckless Connie (Ricki Lake) leaves home to move to New York, only to find herself stuck with no job, no money, and a louse of a boyfriend (Loren Dean) who gets her pregnant and abandons her. Despondently taking a train… More A poor woman is the beneficiary of a case of mistaken identity in this comedy. Luckless Connie (Ricki Lake) leaves home to move to New York, only to find herself stuck with no job, no money, and a louse of a boyfriend (Loren Dean) who gets her pregnant and abandons her. Despondently taking a train back to Boston, Connie meets Hugh and Patricia Winterbourne (Brendan Fraser and Susan Haskell), a wealthy couple also expecting a baby. Patricia notices Connie admiring her wedding ring, and lets her try it on; moments later, the train jumps the tracks, and Connie wakes up in a hospital to discover that the staff thinks she's Patricia Winterbourne, who died in the wreck along with Hugh. The Boston Winterbournes, led by sharp-tongued Grace (Shirley MacLaine), had never met Patricia, so they have no way of knowing that Connie isn't Patricia. While Connie isn't trying to cheat anyone, it doesn't take her long to realize that this isn't a bad environment for raising her baby, especially after she meets Bill Winterbourne, Hugh's twin brother (also played by Fraser). Mrs. Winterbourne was based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, previously filmed as No Man of Her Own and J'ai Epouse Une Ombre. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Richard Benjamin
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Apr 19, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Feb 12, 2002
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Rita Kempley, Washington Post
For a Cinderella story, it's sorely without magic.
Brian Lowry, Variety
The brazen sentimentality at work here -- while effective in the context of what some might call "a chick flick"-- doesn't give the material much weight.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
This film mistakes action for energy, ridiculous circumstances for comedy, and a mismatched male/female pairing for romance.
Mike Clark, USA Today
A watered-down star vehicle for chat queen Ricki Lake, the comedy lite has been flicked on none too delicately by director Richard Benjamin.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This is more of a movie to see on video, on an empty night when you need something to hurl at the gloom.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
A straight romantic comedy that depends on Lake's charm and acting ability to keep it afloat. The result is disaster.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The result is indigestible.
, Time Out
Lake is a rather chilly and distinctly unpersuasive presence.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
You'll be saying 'No, Ricki!' instead of 'Go Ricki!'
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
Cute and relatively inoffensive. At times, even funny.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Completely artificial and charmless
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
An average Hollywood romantic comedy.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
A waste of Fraser and MacLaine, utter failure of tone.
Christine James, Boxoffice Magazine
It would take a far defter comedic hand to successfully transform Woolrich's story from bleak and horrifying to warm and fuzzy.
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
Benjamin should be ashamed of making such a dog.

Read all 15 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

Good heart-warming comedy as Ricki Lake looks so beautiful that she lost her own weight since <i>Cry-Baby</i>.
Keysha H

I really love this film. I dunno why. I think it's because Ricki Lake seems like someone you may actually meet. Cute story..and Shirley MacLaine owns it.
jay n

this was an okay semi comic take on the old story "I Married a Shadow" but better to wait and catch "No Man of Her Own" with Barbara Stanwyck a far superior film with much better acting.
Leigh R

Cute little film.
Sunil J

Mixed feelings but I like Ricci Lake and Shirley MacLaine in this.