Take 22: Return To Me

Tuesday: Take - My "take" on a film.

Return To Me

Realizing the letter R falls on a Tuesday -- when I post my take on a film -- I selected Return to Me (2000), a favorite.

After a year of grieving the loss of his wife Elizabeth (Joely Richardson), Bob Rueland (David Duchovny) finds himself attracted to Grace Briggs (Minnie Driver). As they date, he is unaware that Grace had a heart transplant a year earlier. She hesitates to tell him because she doesn't want treated as "broken." Neither of them are aware that Elizabeth's heart beats within Grace.

Although I knew the concept of the film before viewing it the first time, I was not prepared to know Elizabeth. I assumed Bob would already be a widower at the start. But no, I witnessed the close relationship between them, saw what a wonderful person she was and became somewhat attached to her, and then experienced (and bawled through) her death and Bob's mourning. And the mourning of her dog, Mel. Oh my goodness. Some scenes ripped my heart out.

I love the juxtaposition between Bob's devastation, and the hope of Grace's family and friends as she receives a life-saving heart. As one life passed, another is restored.

This is more than a romance. The love between Grace and her grandfather (Carroll O'Connor), and between the grandfather and his brother-in-law (Robert Loggia), and the camaraderie of their friends, young and old, makes me want to be part of their lives. And I want Megan Dayton (Bonnie Hunt) as my closest friend.

Wonderful heart-warming story of relationships, with drama, comedy, and quirkiness.

Trailer: Return to Me 

Notes on content:

• Some mild profanity and several vain references to Deity, mainly from Joe Dayton (Jim Belushi) Megan's salty but lovable husband.
• No full nudity. One scene has Grace examining the scar that runs from her collarbone down between her breasts, exposing cleavage. And another scene she is in the bathtub, with only her shoulders and knees visible. Belushi's character goes shirtless in one scene.
• No violence. The auto accident is never shown, but blood is visible on Elizabeth's body as she's rushed to surgery, and Bob's shirt has blood all over it.