Watch The Bachelor

The Bachelor is a romantic comedy film released in 1999, directed by Gary Sinyor and starring Chris O'Donnell, Renée Zellweger, and Artie Lange. O'Donnell plays Jimmie Shannon, the grandson and heir of a prestigious family who stands to inherit $100 million on his 30th birthday, but only if he marries before then. With his 30th birthday fast approaching, Jimmie's relatives become concerned that he won't find a bride in time, so they try setting him up through blind dates and singles mixers, all of which end in disaster.

Desperate for a solution, Jimmie's priest suggests he go on a dating game show to find a wife. Jimmie reluctantly agrees and ends up choosing Anne Arden, a sweet school teacher played by Zellweger, as the winner. However, Anne only went on the show as a favor to her sister and has no intention of actually marrying a stranger. Nonetheless, Jimmie's family insists the two go through with a quick wedding so he can collect his inheritance.

What follows is a comedic clash of styles as carefree, playboy Jimmie adjusts to living with the down-to-earth Anne. Though the two are mismatched, they start to develop genuine feelings for each other, even as Anne's disapproving father and Jimmie's eccentric relatives put pressure on them from all sides. Jimmie also finds himself drawn to Anne's friend and roommate, Natalie, further complicating matters.

As Anne spends more time with Jimmie and sees the kind, vulnerable side beneath his brash exterior, she begins to wonder if their marriage could work after all. But just when it seems the two are falling in love, secrets about Jimmie's past affairs and questionable business deals threaten to derail everything.

With Anne questioning their relationship and his family desperate for him to secure the inheritance, Jimmie has to decide what he really values in life and prove himself worthy of Anne's love. The Bachelor combines slapstick humor with romantic tension as two strangers struggle to connect despite the absurd circumstances throwing them together.

O'Donnell and Zellweger have infectious on-screen chemistry as the mismatched newlyweds, with Zellweger bringing emotional depth to the funny role of Anne. Lange also stands out as Jimmie's uncouth best friend who acts as an amusing sidekick throughout Jimmie's dating mishaps. With its wacky family dynamics and culture clash between Anne and Jimmie's worlds, The Bachelor puts a fresh spin on traditional romantic comedy tropes.

Though the premise is far-fetched, the film has heart as two people discover themselves and find love in unexpected places. Directed with vibrancy by Sinyor and filled with snappy dialogue, The Bachelor served as a breakout role for Zellweger and marked a transition in O'Donnell's career towards more comedic roles after his prior dramatic work. Capturing the joys and pitfalls of new love with plenty of jokes, The Bachelor provided a winning mix of romance and laughs in 1999. With the charm of its lead actors and clever inversion of the dating show scenario, the movie remains an entertaining 90s take on modern romance.

The Bachelor is a 1999 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 41 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.1 and a MetaScore of 31.