For Richer or Poorer (1997)

For Richer or Poorer is the kind of fish-out-of-water romantic comedy that wins you over not with clever plotting, but with the easy charm of watching two big personalities get sanded down by a simpler world. Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley have that sturdy, professional comic timing that makes even the broadest moments land, and their bickering-to-bonding rhythm feels warm rather than mean-spirited. The movie’s rural Pennsylvania backdrop gives the story a breezy, storybook contrast to the Manhattan chaos, and it sprinkles in enough punchy one-liners to keep the pace light. It’s not for everyone if you’re allergic to 90s studio comedy or some salty language, but if you want an undemanding, good-natured date-night throwback, it delivers exactly that comfort.

For Richer or Poorer wants to be a cozy fish-out-of-water rom-com where two spoiled Manhattanites learn humility and rediscover their marriage by hiding in Amish country. The problem is it plays like a checklist of predictable gags and convenient plot turns, with comedy that often lands as broad rather than clever and a “heartwarming” shift that can feel forced instead of earned. If you’re sensitive to movies using a sheltered community as a punchline, this may rub you the wrong way, and the language is surprisingly punchy for something this corny. Still, Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley have enough bickering chemistry to keep it moving, so it can work as low-stakes background comfort if your expectations are set to “light TV-level 90s comedy,” not a sharp rom-com.