It was supposed to be Julia Roberts’ return at what she does best — romantic comedies — but the laughs in “My Best Friend’s Wedding” don’t come from Roberts at all.

Rupert Everett, a little-known actor from such movies as “Ready To Wear” and “Dunston Checks In,” puts forth a phenomenal performance, ranking “My Best Friend’s Wedding” near the top of the comedies of the year-to-date.

He plays George, Julianne’s (Roberts) second best friend and faux fianc‚. He’s handsome, sincere and hilarious. He’s also gay — which limits his relationship with Julianne to friends only.

Every scene involving Julianne and George is entertaining. The problem is the plot doesn’t revolve around this duo, but rather Julianne and friend and past college fling Michael (Dermot Mulroney).

Most of the beginning, which seems much longer than it really is, consists of Michael announcing to Julianne that he has found a new love in rich girl Kimmy Wallace (the beautiful Cameron Diaz). The two are going to wed in less than a week and Michael needs Julianne to be there.

Julianne arrives in Chicago to find that Kimmy’s maid of honor has bailed out, and she is her next choice. Conflict arises when Julianne decides she is still in love with Michael and doesn’t want the two to wed — let alone be the maid of honor.

Julianne tries many a devious tactic to change Michael’s mind, none of which are honest or involve much comedy for that matter.

Things do start to pick up when George comes to town and eventually entertains the Wallace family with his outrageous stories. The highlight comes when the entire cast sings the Dionne Warwick tune “I Say A Little Prayer For You” in a crowded restaurant.

George is not only the main source of comedy throughout the film, but he also is the moral conscience. He is the one who finally convinces Julianne to be honest.

The characters are believable for the most part. Roberts does a good job showing her empty-hearted personality. Her character isn’t necessarily likeable, but that’s real life for you.

Diaz is great — probably her best performance to date. Her kiddish smile and passion for love proves she can do more than play the bitch. Diaz’s most memorable scene is a cat fight between her and Roberts, which would be easy to believe if it weren’t for a clich‚ women’s bathroom crowd.

Mulroney — well, let’s just say it was a tough role to play — having to choose between two not-exactly-ugly women. He managed to do some convincing, but had a hard time meshing with other characters.

In “Pretty Woman,” you could see love between Roberts and Richard Gere. It was the same thing with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in “Sleepless In Seattle.” But Mulroney just doesn’t convey love like the true top-dogs.

Not only is it hard to see why Roberts is so in love with him, but the relationship he has with her seems a bit too fixed on physical beauty — a no-no in romantic comedies.

The last hour of the film really drags you in — like a good romantic comedy should. And what’s even better than that is a hard-to-predict ending.

While the entire movie shouldn’t go down as a classic (like the record-setting sales show), “My Best Friend’s Wedding” does have some classic scenes.

3 1/2 stars out of five.

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Corey Moss is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.