To meet his deadline, USA Today columnist Ike Graham (Richard Gere) whips off a quick piece about a Maryland woman who is said to continually leave men at the altar. After he's fired for having glossed over the facts, Ike leaves New York and heads south to Hale, Maryland, to meet Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) and discover the real story. Naturally, he learns even more than he expects to. And since this is a romantic comedy starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, we suspect we know what will happen next, too.

Maggie manages the downtown hardware store and leads a solid, small-town life. She lives with her father Walter (Paul Dooley) and her grandmother (Jean Schertler). She has good friends in Peggy Flemming (Joan Cusack) and Mrs. Pressman (Jane Morris), and in cousin Cindy (Kathleen Marshall). Maggie is planning her fourth wedding attempt, this time to high school football coach Bob Kelly (Christopher Meloni). In past years, she's failed with Deadhead mechanic Gill Chavez (Yul Vasquez), devoted church-goer Brian Norris (Donal Logue) and entomologist George Swilling (Reg Rogers).

Ike hangs around and chats with everyone, and eventually Maggie agrees to give him an exclusive interview. We go along with Ike's investigation because we want to understand, too. Why DOES Maggie do this? The answer turns out to be quite simple and clear. (Caution: the spoiler appears in the last paragraph, below.) What will Maggie do when she understands the truth about herself? And will Ike learn something about himself as well?

Ike has a small group of supportive friends back in New York. Ex-wife Ellie (Rita Wilson) is also the editor of USA Today who fired Ike, and she's now married to photographer Fisher (Hector Elizondo). Local bartender (Larry Miller) lends his support on occasion.

The real-life town of Berlin, Maryland, supplied the setting for most of the film. We get to see some lovely autumn scenery around the hilly interior parts of the eastern shore. The soundtrack includes wonderfully appropriate and familiar songs. (Watch closely during the last main scene on his balcony, and you'll catch Gere holding a script on camera. And be sure to stick around for the closing credits, too. The arrival of winter during the filming gave Gere and Roberts a chance to play like kids in the snow.)

Runaway Bride is one of my favorite movies. Besides being a good story with good characters, its takeaway is a valuable lesson for all of us. (Spoiler: Know and be comfortable with yourself first, before you embark on any relationship with someone else.) Live and learn.