Waking Up in Reno (2001)

Waking Up in Reno was originally entitled Wakin' Up in Reno, but the King's English "g" was affixed on the end, apparently in an attempt to make it seem less provincially Southern. Jordan Brady's film actually succeeds in that regard without any title finagling, respecting its quartet of essentially good-natured but flawed protagonists whose close friendships have made them recklessly familiar with each other's spouses. Once the film gets going on the road to Reno, it unfolds as a nice character study that steadily builds toward a third-act blowup that's zanier than it needed to be, but still pretty heartfelt. Even though Miramax showed little confidence in the film by delaying its release several times, the balanced script justifies the leap of faith shown by its talented cast. Billy Bob Thornton, Charlize Theron, and Natasha Richardson have frequently been recognized for their skills, but the much-maligned Patrick Swayze puts forward a deceptively subtle performance that suggests his resurgence in the previous year's Donnie Darko was no fluke. The strength of the script is that it never needs to go outside this foursome to sustain interest. Co-writers Brent Briscoe and Mark Fauser pepper the journey with set pieces that straddle the line between straight comedy and telling character development. One wouldn't want to over-praise Waking Up in Reno, and the hasty ending gives enough pause to prevent that from happening. But for a movie with dismal-looking trailers that was lucky to get off the scrap heap, it's pleasing stuff. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide