‘Rumor’ has it, the film’s good

“Rumor Has It” is being successfully promoted as a modern day tie-in with “The Graduate.” You know, Mrs. Robinson seduces Benjamin, and Benjamin seduces Mrs. Robinson’s daughter.

Sarah Huttinger (the talented Jennifer Aniston from “Friends”) thinks she must be the illegitimate daughter of the real life “Benjamin,” charming Internet billionaire Beau Burroughs (played with all appropriate sincerity and a lot of warmth by Kevin Costner), and she puts her entire life on hold while she searches for the truth.

Poor neurotic, confused Sarah. She has enough to deal with -- a lifelong feeling that she never really belonged to that Old Pasadena Money family she grew up with, a dead-end job writing obituaries that many of us might kill for, and the amazing good luck to have somehow gotten engaged to someone as honest, smart, sweet, loving and downright decent as Jeff (the ever attractive and dependable Mark Ruffalo).

So when Sarah starts lying about the engagement, and finds herself attracted to Beau (who could help it?), it’s pretty clear that she needs to do a whole lot of growing up before she’s ready for something that takes maturity and effort -- like marriage.

Credit for what works in this uneven balance of surface humor and deep emotion seems to belong to writer (and former director, until he was replaced by Rob Reiner) Ted Griffin. Not that director Rob Reiner (“When Harry Met Sally”) doesn’t know how to set up a gag and deliver a revelation in the same scene. But if it’s not on the page, how can it make it to the screen?

Give good actors a good script -- or in the case of Shirley MacLaine, give fabulous Academy Award-winning actors a good script -- and get them together, and you’ve got yourself a bankable hit.

Ultimately, this film isn’t really about connecting with “The Graduate.”

All those references to 1960s movies in general, and “The Graduate” in particular, keep the first half of “Rumor Has It” cute and light. But the second half of the movie has honesty and soul. Talking about things that really matter -- like love, loyalty and commitment -- raises “Rumor Has It” to a cut above most romantic situation comedies. And that’s why it works.

The film is rated P-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content, crude humor and a drug reference.

* MARY BURKIN is an attorney working in Glendale and a performer/playwright.

20060107h0einike(LA)Mary Burkin20060107isns8anc(LA)Jennifer Aniston stars as Sarah in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ romantic comedy “Rumor Has It,” also starring Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo.