Return to Me is a romantic comedy starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver that follows the rules of the genre. The plot is boy and girl meet, fall in love, discover a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in their relationship and, well, you know the rest. Then there are the character actor best friends of the romantic leads and the obligatory adorable animal to add to the mix. Return to Me follows the formula, but with enough added touches to create an effective and most entertaining movie.

The added ingredient in this film is its ensemble cast, a quirky and entertaining mix that provide humor and charm enough to nudge the film beyond schmaltz and keep things moving at an acceptable pace. Duchovny, plays Bob, a successful building contractor, who is distraught at the death of his wife. Minnie Driver plays Gracie, a young woman in need of a heart-transplant.

Gracie is surrounded by a huge and loving family, led by her grandfather and great uncle, who together run O’Reilly’s Italian Restaurant. Her grandfather, Carol O’Connor, is Irish, while the Uncle, Robert Loggia, is Italian. Along with two of their friends, they spend all their waking hours in the restaurant, either working, or sitting around playing cards and debating whether Italians or Irish have provided more icons of popular culture.

Then there is Gracie's cousin Megan and her husband Joe. Played by Bonny Hunt, and James Belushi, who provide delightful comedy about life after the wedding. Their scenes together are really amusing, and provide a realistic flavor to the movie that is most effective.

When Bob and Gracie start dating, they spend much of their time with the colorful characters of O’Reilly’s Italian Restaurant. There’s a great scene where the crew all go bowling together, and celebrate Bob’s high score of 67.

There’s nothing all that special about Return to Me. It’s formulaic in that it feels like a million other romantic comedies, but even conforming to the blueprint, this one works nicely. Duchovny and Driver are delightful in their romantic roles and there’s a pleasing chemistry between the pair. Much kudos goes to Bonnie Hunt, who is not only very fine in the role of supporting actress, but also as co-writer and director of the film.

But in my opinion, the major charm of Return to Me is the ensemble cast that make the whole package entertaining. It's a pleasing romantic comedy, perhaps due to it's unendingly cheer combined with enough realism and a splash of wit, that creates a feel good experience that is well worth the price of admission.