In My Best Friend’s Wedding, Julianne Potter works as a food critic.
Julia Roberts plays Julianne, who discovers that her longtime friend Michael O’Neal is about to marry Kimberly Wallace. Julianne realizes she loves Michael and travels to Chicago, intending to stop the wedding despite having promised to be his best friend.
Her profession helps establish her as an independent adult with a life beyond the romantic conflict. The film contrasts Julianne’s confident public persona with her increasingly desperate attempts to change Michael’s decision. Cameron Diaz plays Kimberly, while Dermot Mulroney portrays Michael.
The 1997 film was directed by P. J. Hogan and written by Ronald Bass. It became one of the decade’s notable romantic comedies and is especially remembered for its unusual focus on an unrequited love story rather than a straightforward courtship.