Rumor Has It (2005) -vs- The Graduate (1967)

Review by Bryce Zabel 

This is obviously not a fair fight but if you're going to put Rumor Has It in a Smackdown it's going to have to be against The Graduate. They are linked because The Graduate is, well, The Graduate and Rumor Has It is about the people who, rumor has it, The Graduate was based on.

"Okay, I slept with your mom, and your grandmother, and I'm hitting on you, but it's not like you think."

So Jennifer Aniston's character comes home for her sister's wedding only to discover that her family was the one that The Graduate was based on. This is a reasonably okay premise, maybe even very good, except that the way to unspool it is just basically icky. It means that the Kevin Costner character (who was the basis of the Dustin Hoffman character in the movie) has slept with Jennifer Aniston's grandmother (Shirley Maclaine) and her mother (she's long dead in the movie) and now, Jennifer. Like I said, it's just icky. That, in the romantic comedy business, is kind of a big problem.

Of course, even if it worked or made sense or didn't make you want to hurl, there aren't many movies which could even think about taking down the original.

The Graduate. Because it was first, best and sexy and comedic and almost real, but never, ever icky.