Holy Matrimony (1994)

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From the writers of The Rock (I kid you not) comes Holy Matrimony, a story that... well, probably shouldn't have been attempted. Patricia Arquette plays one half of a low-rent Bonnie & Clyde hiding in a Hutterite community when events conspire to make her marry a 12-year-old boy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his first feature film role) so she can keep her hands on her ill-gotten funds. It's really not as icky as it sounds, it has a couple moments that will make you frown. Somehow, director Leonard Nimoy manages to make it cute and heartfelt, a pair of fish out of water stories with an 80s-required crime plot (and a cartoonish villain), and it might not work if not for the two stars' likability. It's also surprising that the religious community is not lampooned (they don't even agree with the marriage). Ultimately, despite its offbeat premise, it's still highly predictable. The two protagonists will find a way to meet in the middle and learn from one another, romcom rules of "I hate you now I don't" are in effect, and so on. On paper, this is likely objectionable, but on screen, it's not objectionable. But it's all a little by the numbers too. 1 year 11 months ago