Happy Accidents

Ruby Weaver, a person who has made bad choices in the boyfriend department, thinks she's finally found a decent life partner in Sam. That is, until he claims he's a time traveler from the future. She plays along at first, but Sam's stories become increasingly weird, and Ruby questions his mental health.

This was such a cute little movie, I decided to by the DVD. The two lead characters were actually entertaining, unlike the cardboard cutouts in most romantic comedies i've seen in the last few years. Brad Anderson is a talented guy, and i'd like to see what else he's directed now.

I'm always intrigued by small titles, because sometimes they're better than the big moneymakers. This one failed to disappoint, especially because of the superb acting and camera shots. Vincent D'Onofrio(still "the bug" from "Men in Black" in my mind) did a wonderful job of stepping out of that role and into one that's believable, despite Sam's odd story. The first time I watched this, I was intrigued by the possibility that Sam may be telling the truth. Fortunately, K-Pax hadn't managed to ruin that scenario completely for me. The ending was a complete surprise and there were some nice twists.

I picked this up again to see if it was still as intriguing and to my surprise, it was. Even knowing Sam's true identity takes none of the emotion out of the film. I saw that this movie is not just the audience deciding whether or not to believe Sam, but Ruby deciding as well. It's a terrific inner conflict for her, as she struggles in the face of love and honesty after a string of horrible men. Haven't we all met someone that we loved and wanted to trust, but we didn't know we could? The time travel aspect makes this movie impossible but the characters are so real and deep, then the movie feels real and you find yourself thinking if only for a moment that it is perfectly possible. That's why I say that even if you know the ending, watch this movie for the quality that it is.

WOW!!

I had heard good things about this film, had liked Session 9 a lot, and will watch anything with d'Onofrio. Even so, this film completely blew me away.

It's science-fiction for adults, who prefer ideas and emotions to explosions and goofy makeup.

It's romantic dramedy at its best, with two memorable characters portrayed by highly skilled and REAL actors. In fact both Tomei and d'Onofrio are close to perfect in these roles.

It's a premise that continues to develop over the entire span of the film, never becoming predictable or plot-driven.

It offers striking supporting performances from Holland Taylor and Jose Zuniga, and a flat-out GREAT scene with Tovah Feldshuh that's driven by subtle and moving screenwriting.

It offers memorable and witty cameos from Mike McGlone and Anthony ("just call me Michael") Hall. And you gotta love the conceit of a guy who fantasizes about being A.M. Hall during sex!

From the opening shot to the end, it offers countless felicities of mise-en-scene, camera movement, framing, and editing, courtesy of Brad Anderson.

And there's a final shot that manages to be both very subtle and emotionally complex, while still seeming completely inevitable.

I even liked the loose ends that were never wrapped up!

SEE THIS FILM!

Don't rent this film if you are the kind of movie watcher/goer who doesn't like to have their brain engaged. (i.e. you only want car chases, explosions, bouncing boobies and bathroom humor.) You will be very disappointed.

I adored this movie and will purchase it as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Why do I adore it? A few reasons.

First, it is not your run-of-the-mill story. The time travel concept is handled in a very interesting way. The "back story," the photograph, the "father's" phone number -- all keep you wondering as they do Ruby (Tomei's character). Too, I appreciated the way the viewer is never quite sure (until the end -- and I won't give it away) if Sam (D'Onofrio's character) is really telling the "truth" or really is mentally/physically ill. I had a roommate for seven years who was bi-polar and borderline psychotic. It was scary how true this movie was in terms of what happens to the people who are dealing with (at least supposedly) mentally ill individuals. The writing and Tomei's acting portrayed the enabling, co-dependant thing perfectly and how these types of relationship can spiral into dangerous places.

Secondly, I liked the fact that the whole movie (except for a few brief shots at the beach and the ending) was filmed with a hand held camera. It gave it an almost documentary-like feel. I think the intimacy of the hand held kept the viewer's focus on the characters, rather like sitting in the room and looking back and forth between them. It also underscored their emotions, thereby grounding us in their reality. It just sucks you in. Because of this I never got a sense that this movie was trying to be a SciFi flick, and I don't think it was intended to be. The jerkiness of the hand held also was a reminder, subtle or not, of the shakey ground these characters were treading both separately and together.

Third and last. D'Onofrio's performance. Outstanding. Man, he continually blows me away! His Sam had to be completely gentle and innocent on one hand, but very threatening and creepy on the other. Sam was so engaging and sweet at first but towards the middle of the film, while retaining those qualities, I was really beginning to wonder if he was a physical threat to Ruby. A fine edge to walk as an actor. And all the future and time theory babble was handled with apparent ease. I believed him. D'Onofrio has the ability to just melt into a character's skin, to completely transform himself. He gives it all.

(On that note, there have been many in these reviews who say he usually plays evil characters and are surprised by this performance. He has done a few bad guys, but it is his other roles I love best. If you enjoy his work PLEASE check out - if you have not done so already - The Whole Wide World, Household Saints, Steal This Movie, and Good Luck. All good movies made GREAT by his performances. In my opinion he's one of the best out there and very under-rated.)

The only thing I didn't like in the film was the score. It just didn't work for me.I felt it was intrusive and much too jarring. It seems like a misguided afterthought. For me, if I notice the score over the performances or it interrupts my ability to follow the story, it isn't doing it's job well.

Vincent D'Onofrio and Marisa Tomei are fantastic as this couple that are in love. Things are going great until Ruby (tomei) discovers that Sam (D'Onofrio) claims to be from the future. GREAT, just what she needs. It seems that she has tended to go for the "loser" type guys, and then tried fix them all of her adult life. She is in therapy for this. She is struggling to NOT fall for a guy with "issues" yet Sam is the best thing that's ever happened to her. I don't know if this can really be classified as strictly comedy. Yes, there are lots of funny things that happen, and funny dialog, but the drama is more intriguing. MUCH better than the big box office romantic comedies that are out there.