One man's mawkish sentimentality may be his wife's tender love story, but it's difficult to find any redeeming features in Joan Chen's Autumn in New York. A hideously contrived love story sees renowned chef and ladies man Will (Gere) fall in love with Winona Ryder's terminally ill designer, Charlotte Fielding. Over time their relationship develops, but so does Charlotte's heart condition. For Autumn in New York to succeed there would have had to be tangible electricity between the two stars, but both Gere and Ryder ramble aimlessly through the film, investing little emotion in their characters. Overly dependent on saccharine sweetness, the story labours under the weight of its own pretensions and the lack of vision offered by the director's bland imagery. In short, avoid.
