Despite the contrived nature of the screenplay, this odd couple romance works as an old-fashioned, sappy star vehicle. Some welcome doses of character-driven comedy keep the sentimental floodgates in check. Stung by his wife's harsh words as she's leaving him, Boston-based Irish expatriate Joe (Billy Connolly) wonders if there's more to life than being a hard-working florist and faithful spouse. The Joe is diagnosed with a brain tumor, and decides it's time for a change. Ignoring the advice of his father-in-law, Frank (Frank C. Turner), and drinking buddy, Happy (Dann Florek), Joe hits America's highways in search of adventure. He makes a stop at Churchill Downs and cleans up, attracting the attention of desperate bar-girl Hush (Sharon Stone), who's in hock for eight grand to George the Geek (Ian Holm). Hush steals Joe's wallet and offers it to the Geek's enforcer, Elton (Gil Bellows), as partial payment. A forgiving soul, Joe protects Hush from the Geek — who backs off because he mistakes mild-mannered Joe for a dapper Mafioso named Beautiful Joe — and becomes a surrogate father to her kids, Vivien (Jurnee Smollett) and Lee (Dillon Moen). As As the date earmarked for his exploratory surgery approaches and his headaches worsen, Joe extricates Hush from assorted scrapes and falls for the hard-bitten dame, even after she blows all his money in Las Vegas. Naturally, the mobsters close in on Joe, Hush, and her children in Vegas. Will Joe's disease put him out of commission, or will serendipity grant Hush and Joe a fresh start? Despite the transparency of the Hush-Joe relationship and the script's repetitive confrontations, this macho weepie about finding your bliss coasts on the charm of Connolly and an expert supporting cast. Stone isn't ideally suited to bimbo roles — her innate intelligence always shines through — but she and Connelly make an attractive couple. --Robert Pardi
