A Fare to Remember (1999) User Reviews

Easy to watch, kind-of-remake with "6 days 7 nights" touches

[petervee · 13 January 2003]

This is a light, easy-to-watch film about a lady on her way to her wedding being forced to hire a cab from Seattle to LA. I watched it one morning, as I was just waking up, eating my breakfast. Excellent way to wake up......

We know something will happen between them; we know she is difficult to please; we know she will change before the journey and the film ends.

Along the way, we notice many things:

• Cameo by un-credited Karl Malden as Corporate Vice President

• "The cell-phone can find us" scene from 6 days 7 nights, repeated in a highway setting.

• The highway breakdown scene from Steve Martin's "Planes, Trains, Automobiles" remade.

• Challen Kates, although she has not done many movies so far, is a very energetic player as well as being very cute (we can't say anything else about her real character, can we?). Why doesn't she do more films?

• One would think that to get money, all she needs to do is drive to an ATM so why doesn't she? And do all cabbies give this MUCH credit to clients?

• Although there is plenty of scope to further extend the two main characters, the author doesn't. That's just too bad.

All in all a nice film.....

To be marginal or not to be ...

[ertanasan · 8/10 · 9 December 2002]

This movie was a suprise for me while I was surfing from channel to channel... I don't know why but it filled in me with warmth and happiness. This is what a high budget movie can not do mostly. I liked it, this is "a must see" one...

Touchy, well-acted holiday fare

[SteveRevere · 10/10 · 11 August 2003]

Challen Cates does a wonderful job depicting a conflicted bride, torn between the challenges that await her professionally, the memories of the freedom she thought she would have when in college (inspired by a famous author) and the safety of her pending marriage to a man she really doesn't love. This movie is definitely worth seeing--- as predictable as it may be, the acting is inspiring and real chemistry exists between Challen Cates and Malcolm Jamaal Warner.

Surprise

[cedrickroberts · 9/10 · 1 September 2004]

I came across this movie while channel surfing one day; and decided to give it a chance. To my surprise I enjoyed this darkhorse movie. I felt some genuine chemistry between Challen Cates and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. It was such a lighthearted and warm movie that when it was over I felt upbeat. Sure, this movie was predictable from the very beginning, but I give it high marks for the way that it made me feel when it was over. I must admit that I have never seen Challen Cates before, but I feel that she can definitely act. When you combine her good acting with her cute face and attractive figure. She has the makings of at least becoming a well-known star.

A question of what matters most in life.

[kjarana · 9/10 · 6 January 2003]

A tender movie that represents how our daily life is a catalyst that causes us to change our thoughts, behaviors and emotions into people we're not. This story is a love story where true emotions arise. I credit Malcolm Jamal Warner (Win) and Challen Cates for outstanding performances . A movie definitely worth seeing, a holiday roadtrip that turns into an emotional turn-a-round. I suggest seeing it.

nice holiday movie

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 3 December 2006]

"A Fare to Remember" is a totally derivative, almost ridiculous movie, but has a warmth about it that makes it a very effective and upbeat holiday movie. It stars a pretty newcomer, Challen Kates, as a high-powered ad executive who, right before her wedding, has to rush from L.A. to Seattle to keep a client who has rejected every presentation. She has transportation difficulties from the beginning and seemingly no money. This is the first dumb thing - were there no ATMs anywhere? She must make a fortune. At any rate, she meets a cab driver (Warner) who looks like a homeless man, and he drives her to her presentation. When she emerges with a huge box of beef jerky (the client's product), he's there to take her to the airport. All flights are canceled, so in order to get to L.A. for her wedding, she hires him to take her there.

Along the way, they bond and learn from each other. It's a very sweet movie though there is absolutely nothing new in it - it combines "Six Days and Seven Nights" and a few other films. But the chemistry between the stars is good, they're likable, and the acting is good. Look for Jerry Springer as the head of the beef jerky company and a cameo by Karl Malden.

This is a nice film to take in over the holiday season. It's on Lifetime.

A really nice Christmas film

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 13 December 2015]

Last night,I was only just flicking the channels on the television because the Internet was down and I was bored out of my skin, that was until I came to watch this on the channel 'More Movies'. I thought this was really good because it gives you a message that it doesn't matter if your black or white, you are entitled to love at whatever costs. That's what I really liked about this film!

I never even heard of this film before until last night in late 2015! Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Challen Cates were really good at being their characters. I loved how their relationship blossomed quite suddenly when they first met when they were stranded in the middle of nowhere!

I thought it was a nice film to watch before Christmas!

Better than the usual Christmas Movie theme

[tkurkowski · 7/10 · 31 December 2006]

Most Christmas movies have a "redemption" theme but most are a variation on a very similar plot. This movie is wacky and has an unusual plot. You may need to hang in there for the first half where events may seem hard to believe for a movie (but not as unbelievable as real life - Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, says he's never made up anything in any of his cartoons - they're all based on real life stories told to him by his fans). The second half starts to fit the plot together. I enjoyed it.

BTW, one reviewer noted that the idea of someone not having cash available is not credible in these days of ATMs, but it's perfectly credible if you've lost your wallet - who carries ATM cards anywhere else while on a business trip?

Just when you want to throw away your TV they make this unobtainable love story.

[rudolph-zoom3 · 10/10 · 26 December 2014]

Great Movie for anytime of the year but even more so at the end of year holidays. However if you have nothing better to do than trying to chase a happy go lucky FART in the wind then just try finding a copy of it on the internet. In fact I think that they should rename this movie just that: A Fart In The Wind. Why? Because getting a copy of it is nearly next to impossible. No DVD or VHS tapes where never made for purchase. Go figure... The black entertainment Bouncetv channel aired it Christmas Eve 2014 but I don't have connections with anyone who had that channel so once again it escaped me. Good acting from Malcolm Jamal Warner and Challen Cates. If you can hook me up please email me [e-mail] with title in search bar. Nothing should be this HARD to find. I have spent at least fifty hours trying to find a hint of the movie as to where it might be found. Right now I am trying hard to just make the ten line minimum required to post on this site in order to find my most dire requested movie. I hope this is enough lines. So enjoy the movie if you can find it and inhale it quickly or you will miss even the slightest whiff of the SWEET SMELLING FART:-) Again PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know if you do find it. It would make you my new best friend PLUS I WILL GIVE A FIRST ONE QUOTA "THANK YOU GIFT" OF $25 TO THE FIRST PERSON MAKING IT AVAILABLE INTO MY HANDS OR CLICKABLE VIEWABLE FILE READY TO CLICK AND SEE. NOT JUST SUM DOWNLOAD SITE INFORMATION. IF SHIPPING IS INVOLVED I WILL GLADLY PAY IT TOO. Aloha Rudy

Meh. So so. Not really watchable. There were other things on.

[TinaRessor · 4/10 · 24 December 2006]

I thought this movie was too absurd for me to finish watching it. The premise was too silly and predictable. I didn't make it far into the movie.

Let me see. She is obviously older than the cabbie (unless she is a lot younger than she looks). He is black and she is white. She makes more money than him (he is only a cabbie). That's 3 of society's most statistically failed unions all rolled up in one and we are supposed to pretend they have a chance in hell. She would be better off marrying the guy she doesn't love.

I only watched it partially because I love MJW as an actor. His acting was superb. Hers, meh! It was OK but the premise is too silly. Didn't see the end. Couldn't make it there so I don't know if it ended differently from the way I predicted the ending would be. I can't imagine any black woman liking this movie. There is something sickening about watching a black man catering to a white woman like that. And an old one at that. PLEASE! Not in the real world!

Cute movie!

[stacerace76 · 6/10 · 24 May 2020]

You can tell this is an earlier movie for Malcom Jamal Warner because his acting was not so great but I watch him every week on The Resident and he's a really great anymore so clearly his acting has improved over the years. However, the lead actress in the movie is not great but she's kinda cute. Aside from the bad acting it was a really cute story and I enjoyed it. And Malcom Jamal Warner is beautiful to look at so it's worth it just to look at him lol!

This is one of Jamal best best movie.Also. I love on The Resident .he a great actor he seems to have a very good personality.

[rloustalot · 10/10 · 28 September 2018]

I love this movie so much.I would love to buy it.all the actors in A Fare to Remember.just blow my mind