Happy Accidents

I tend to like character-driven movies and am quickly put off by movies that follow one of the familiar Hollywood stories. This movie successfully ventures into interesting and largely untested ground.

The story is about a man (Vincent D'Onofrio) who becomes romantically involved with a woman (Marisa Tomei) who has a history of co-dependence and failed relationships. He claims that he is from the future. The plot takes us on the journey of their relationship and her questioning of the truth to his claims vs. whether he is another in a string of loser guys that she seems to cling to.

The plot synopsis sounded a little odd, but it was my hope that these two talented actors could pull it off. Both Tomei and D'Onofrio turn in excellent performances. They present complex, interesting and flawed characters who engage our interest. The writing is very good and enjoyable.

My only complaint is the the story sags a little about 2/3 of the way through. A little tighter editing of about 10 minutes of essentially redundant scenes would have made the movie a more engaging.

I rate it a 8/10 and encourage those who like well-written, character-driven movies to check this one out.

I actually think this 2001 low-budget, indie film has a quirky charm that's hard to resist, and credit goes to director/writer/editor Brad Andersen's singular film-making style. It's ostensibly a contemporary love story between two misfits, but he laces the plot with science fiction elements that seem contrived at first until they start to affect the characters tangibly. The irony is that these far-fetched plot developments are what make the movie resonate emotionally. The two people at the center are Ruby Weaver, a single woman with an unfortunate track record of enabling men to meet her lowest expectations, and Sam Deed, a stranger from Dubuque who may be either mentally ill or a time traveler from the year 2470. Ruby is immediately drawn to Sam's sincerity but when he confesses to coming from the future, she inevitably feels like she is recycling old behavior by trying to save him from his delusions.

It reminds me a bit of John Carpenter's 1984 "Starman" (where an alien takes the form of a woman's dead husband) and a touch of Hal Ashby's 1979 "Being There" (where an insulated gardener tries to make sense of the world around him). However, Anderson puts his own idiosyncratic stamp on the movie by making Sam's seemingly insane assertions credible and Ruby's attraction alternately frustrating and empathetic. The acting by the two leads helps considerably here. Suffering from premature Oscar ejaculation, Marisa Tomei has slowly recovered her acting credentials, and this performance is among her best as she dexterously brings out all the hesitation and vulnerability in Ruby. As Sam, Vincent D'Onofrio tempers his trademark intensity with a genuine sweetness that makes his child-like wonder believable. Holland Taylor effectively tones down her sassy persona to play Ruby's impervious therapist, while Tovah Feldshuh grounds the film with warmth and sensibility as Ruby's mother. The ending is clever with a nice use of stop-motion photography, even if it felt slightly derivative of the legendary "Star Trek" episode where Bones is stopped from saving a peace-loving missionary (played by Joan Collins, of all people) about to be killed. This one is more infectious than you may be assuming from the set-up.

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.

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!