Rumor Has It

Visiting her family in Pasadena has never been very easy for Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston), who has never really felt like she fits in with them. Her hair color, her tastes, her manner, even her driving habits all differ from her family. So, as she flies to her sister’s wedding, one can imagine the tension she is feeling. What’s worse, she is traveling with her new fiance Jeff (Mark Ruffalo), about whom she is beginning to have doubts and fears. But things are about to get much worse.

At home, she learns that before her parents’ wedding, her recently deceased mother had gotten a bad case of the jitters and had disappeared in Mexico for a short time, where she had a small affair with her old school friend, Beau Burroughs and that she had given birth to Sarah only 8 months after the wedding. To Sarah, this means that maybe she isn’t really the daughter of Earl Huttinger (Richard Jenkins) after all, but really the daughter of Mr. Burroughs (Kevin Costner). Sarah sets out to find Beau and discover the truth of her identity, and how her family seems somehow connected to the plot of the movie “The Graduate”.

“Rumor Has It…” contains some good things, but they are overshadowed by condoned immorality. Sarah and Jeff share an intimate life before marriage, and at one point try to have sex in a toilet stall on the plane, although they don’t succeed. Sex is also implied between Sarah and another character, although nothing is seen except for her bare back as she gets dressed. Crude references to masturbation, condoms, and “blunt testicular trauma,” as well as much profanity and taking of the Lord’s name in vain, also mar the dialogue.

However, the film shows that it is very dangerous to jump to conclusions and act without thinking, and it encourages the audience to do interesting, fun things every so often—or life becomes “just a bunch of Thursdays.” It also demonstrates the power of love and the importance of forgiveness in a relationship, in both Sarah and in her father. Thus, this movie is only for adults and mature teens who enjoy a generally light-hearted, romantic comedy with some fairly funny moments and a feel-good ending and who can ignore the immoral messages and discern the moral ones.

Violence: None / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

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