'Til There Was You (1997)

7% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
36% of users liked it
(12,463 ratings)

This romantic comedy is the first film from two television veterans, writer Winnie Holzman and director Scott Winant. Gwen Moss (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is a writer working on the life story of former child actress Francesca Lanfield (Sarah Jessica Parker), who is recovering from drug addiction. Nick… More This romantic comedy is the first film from two television veterans, writer Winnie Holzman and director Scott Winant. Gwen Moss (Jeanne Tripplehorn) is a writer working on the life story of former child actress Francesca Lanfield (Sarah Jessica Parker), who is recovering from drug addiction. Nick Dawkan (Dylan McDermott) is an architect working on a housing development that will require razing Gwen's beloved vintage apartment. Gwen frequently visits a restaurant designed by Nick, but she never meets him. In the meantime, she is romantically rebuffed by a college professor (Ken Olin), who reveals that he is bisexual. Eventually, Gwen's crusade to save the apartment complex, which is owned by Francesca, attracts the attention of Nick. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Scott Winant
Written By: Winnie Holzman
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: May 30, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Dec 11, 2001

Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
With its clotted script, art direction that's all splash and no style, and dialogue that's too nakedly calculated to facilitate identification), this tedious and confused movie points several characters in obvious directions.
Leonard Klady, Variety
A tired piece of romantic cornball fare that harks back to a bygone era, the film is a badly conceived, poorly executed fairy tale guaranteed to make audiences squirm in their seats.
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times
Tripplehorn and McDermott are likable enough in their roles, but Holzman's precious, overwritten script gives them few genuinely honest moments.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Here is the most tiresome and affected movie in many a moon, a 114-minute demonstration of the Idiot Plot, in which everything could be solved with a few well-chosen words that are never spoken.
Andy Seiler, USA Today
A fragmentary and amateurish fairy tale.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Tripplehorn and McDermott don't look as if they belong together and aren't strong enough actors to overcome their physical incompatibility. So there's no sense of urgency about them getting together.
Rob Nelson, Boston Phoenix
Bad romantic comedies with sappy characters aren't always without merit, since we cynics can at least use them to further our conviction that love isn't worth the trouble. But this bad romantic comedy is merely bad.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Graceless star Tripplehorn -- who's called upon to execute a painful series of pratfalls in a high-tech restaurant -- is not a natural comedian, and overall the movie is awkward and leaden.
Leonard Schwarz, Palo Alto Weekly
The film's real irony is that Gwen and Nick are so annoying that they deserve each other.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
The end credits couldn't have come any sooner
Leslie Rigoulot, Film Scouts
This is a fluffy, delightful romantic comedy in the same vein as Sleepless in Seattle.
Scott Renshaw, rec.arts.movies.reviews
The fatal flaw comes with the casting of the romantic leads, and for once the problem isn't that they don't belong together. You're just not likely to care one way or the other.
James Sanford, rec.arts.movies.reviews
pure plastic, flat and transparent. All involved were all too obviously aiming for another ``Sleepless In Seattle,'' but what they've produced is a cinematic siesta.
Guy MacPherson, Apollo Guide
A big waste of time.
Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Like most episodic tales, some episodes are better than others; but even the good ones aren't as fully developed as they might be.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
With dialog like this why did the producers go forward with this project? The movie needs a rewrite and a new director.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cassie H

Good movie. I enjoyed it alot. Great peformances by Jeanne Tripplhhorn, Dylan McDermott, Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker. You should rent this movie. :)