During the heyday of the explosive success of “Friends,” Hollywood was desperate to cast “Chandler Bing types,” but in the Salma Hayek co-starring “Fools Rush In,” director Andy Tennant was wise enough to just cast the real thing. Matthew Perry plays a New York City real estate developer named Alex who has a salacious one-night stand in Las Vegas with a woman named Isabel (Hayek). What should have been a fun story to tell friends turns into a life-changing experience, as Isabel becomes pregnant. Now, the career bachelor must decide between his WASPy life in the Big Apple and his familial responsibilities in Las Vegas, as well as the cultural shake-up with his new, Mexican inlaws.
Perry himself considers “Fools Rush In” his best movie, and it’s easy to see why. Everything about the film plays to his strengths — between physical comedy, huge romantic gestures, and longing looks at Hayek that make you wish he was looking at you in the same manner. His confession that “You are everything I never knew I always wanted. I’m not even sure what that means exactly, but I think has something to do with the rest of my life,” perfectly encapsulates the “aw, shucks” demeanor that Perry played better than anyone ever has because his appeal is not that he’s the hottest or coolest guy in the room, but that he’s the most genuine. “Fools Rush In” understood Perry’s talents as few films could. (BJ Colangelo)