Mrs. Winterbourne MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: -2

In New York City, young Connie Doyle (Riki Lake) gets involved with a con artist and ends up destitute and pregnant. Trying to get to a shelter for the homeless, she boards a train to Boston by mistake and her life is never the same again. The train wrecks and when she wakes up in the hospital, her baby has been born and she has been mistaken for the wife of Hugh Winterbourne, a wealthy Bostonian who died in the wreck. Since Hugh was married in Hong Kong, no one knows what his wife looks like. Connie knows she should not masquerade as his wife, but when she arrives at his luxurious estate, she can hardly resist. Besides, Hugh's mother (Shirley MacLain) is enamored with the baby and Hugh's handsome twin brother (Brendan Fraser) eventually begins to take a romantic interest in her. Connie comes from an underprivileged family, and her down-to-earth ways among such sophisticated people prove to be both hilarious and refreshing. There are lots of laughs and pathos in this touching, appealing romantic comedy.

MRS. WINTERBOURNE would have made a perfectly wonderful wholesome PG movie, but, for some unfathomable reason, the producers insisted on polluting it from beginning to end with obscenities and profanities. It is tragically marred with many crude words, over 20 obscenities and several regular profanities. In such a delightful, tender story, this foul language is jarring and disturbing. Although Connie gets pregnant out of wedlock, no sex scenes are shown and she does not become sexually involved with Hugh's brother. The film includes some social drinking and Hugh's mother drinks excessively, but this is shown as undesirable. Also, Connie eventually confesses her deception. Surveys show that Americans feel there are too many offensive elements in movies, and, in the case of foul language, MRS. WINTERBOURNE is a prime example.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: TriStar Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232