<< back                                      November 23 2005
 The Hollywood Reporter
Author: Barry Garron

There's something about intra-ethnic strife, when it's done well, that makes it the perfect backdrop for a romantic comedy. And no doubt about it, "The Engagement Ring," the latest Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation, is done very well. Like "Moonlighting" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," it's filled with passionate, larger-than-life characters, made up of equal parts of loving and stubborn. This movie, set in California's wine country, is intoxicating entertainment with a full bouquet of charm.

The opening scenes flash back more than a half century. Two Italian families, the Rosas and Di Cenzoses, operate adjacent vineyards. Their children, Alicia Rosa and Nick Di Cenzos, are friends and then young lovers, seemingly destined for a life together. Nick joins the Army and sends Alicia an engagement ring, which gets lost in the mail. Getting no response, Nick figures he's been jilted by the love of his life. Alicia hears nothing from her heart's desire and thinks Nick didn't care about her. Nick remained a bachelor, but Alicia married Johnny Anselmi, an all-around nice guy, and had a daughter, Sara.

Fast forward to today. Sara (Patricia Heaton) is engaged to workaholic businessman Brian (Heaton's real-life husband, David Hunt). She wants to expand the family vineyard by buying the Di Cenzos' property. Her mother, Alicia (Lainie Kazan), wants no part of any deal with the Di Cenzos family. Nick (Tony Lo Bianco) feels equally angry at Alicia. However, Nick's nephew, Tony (Vincent Spano), is in favor of the transaction, particularly after meeting and developing an attraction to Sara. Amid all this, the letter with the ring is discovered at the local post office and, after four decades, delivered to Alicia.

There's no need for a spoiler alert because you know how Rodney Vaccaro's teleplay, based on Frank Denson's story, is going to end long before you reach the halfway point. What makes this movie such a treat to watch isn't the suspense but the passion of the characters and the obvious joy the cast takes in playing them. Kazan is a bundle of fire and emotion, Lo Bianco brilliantly carries a not-so-well-concealed torch, and Chuck Shamata as Johnny is unforgettable as the man in the middle. Heaton resonates as a woman who questions her own feelings and surprises herself with the answers, just as she did in TNT's " The Goodbye Girl." Spano plays Tony with understated flair.

With this film, Steven Schachter has directed three of the seven Johnson & Johnson presentations (the other two being "Door to Door" and "The Wool Cap"). He brings beautiful sensitivity to the characters and a vibrancy to the story. Technical credits are excellent from top to bottom. In particular, Jeff Beal's selection of music unerringly fits each and every scene.

Bottom line: It's two goblets up for this delightful and endearing romantic comedy.