This Julia Roberts vehicle is one of the summer's big hits. I would imagine that it was intended as a "woman's movie" as well as a date movie.

Roberts plays Julianne Potter, a New York food critic, who finds out that her best friend, Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney), is about to get married. What to do? Sure enough!! Take the next plane to Chicago to try to win back Michael.

Once in Chicago, Julianne resorts to all sorts of nefarious and cruel schemes to break up Michael and Kimmy (Cameron Diaz). Her confidant and helper in crime is her gay editor, George (Rupert Everett).

The theory is that Roberts is playing against type as the "bad girl," and somehow the audience will be stupid enough to think that ol' Pretty Woman will win out. Never mind that Kimmy is much more attractive in every possible way.

The "surprise" ending, of course, is that Julianne loses, and that Michael and Kimmy will probably live happily ever after. The real surprise is that despite all the terrible scheming, Kimmy and Julianne kiss and make up--and then George and Julianne dance.

We can assume that George and Julianne will return to their neurotic New Yorker lives, none the worse for wear. In this feature, crime did pay. She has all that fun being a bitch, and now gets to go back to life as it was before. Remember, she was getting along just fine without Michael when the film started. Ah, Hollywood!!

Now for the woman's movie stereotypes:

The best looking, most desirable girl is never voted prom queen if the girls have anything to say about it. Thus, the women in the audience will be rooting for Julianne.

The urge for female bonding is so strong that Kimmy and Julianne get together in the end, regardless of everything that happened before.

Gay men are oh so sensitive, and are babe magnets, presumably because they are non-threatening. God forbid that Julianne could have a happily married male or female confidant.

And, now, the biggie: The basic theme is that "Love is a tragedy." This is the ultimate theme of all women's literature and film.

Most women deny these stereotypes, yet they are always used successfully in the movies. But ladies, don't feel bad. Men are simplistic, as well. The theme of all men's films is revenge.

Just think. If we can combine love is a tragedy with revenge, we should have a killer hit!! But, then again, whatever happened to "Legends of the Fall?" I guess there isn't a formula, after all...