Serendipity

Often I spend my time with a movie outside of it, watching me watching it, imagining how and why it became what it is.

But every once in a while, I fall into the thing. It succeeds in its intent, to charm me. It happens almost never with date movie because the conventions and expectations are so rigid. That makes them obvious and invites me to step outside. But this worked for me, and it might for you.

I think it is because it does three things. The first is that it is remarkably competent; film-making — at least this kind — requires attention to so many elements. This is quite simply one of the most well engineered date movies I have ever seen in terms of those elements. No risks, no innovation, no real art except in the performances. Just polish, skill, craft.

The second is that it unashamedly touches on romance, the heart of romance as well see in movies. Its a rich notion that probably exists only in movies and a few magical times with the person you love — so you know it is real. But cinema inflates and freezes it for you to hold. Perhaps that is not so wise, but it is what romantic films are about and this plays those keys.

The third thing is what interests me the most. Mind you, I only suss this out afterward.

I have recently come to appreciate the invention of what I'll call noir, the noir world of fate. Its entirely a movie notion that as we watch, we become gods and goddesses that (perhaps against our wills) change the world we see so that coincidences apply. Often they are unhappy, but noir fate can work the other way as well. Not usually; it takes some clever invention which we have here. Its why there's mention of Cassiopeia. See? (I mean that literally.)

Its such an attractive idea, that two souls are fated to meet, (one a film producer, the other an analyst). They were born to be together, born alike in some fundamental way. The world will contrive to make the natural fit. Its something to yearn for, and that's what date movies are for: a pinnacle of happiness in love.

This captured me. I suppose it was fate. I wish something similar for you.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Sarah is a girl who believes obsessively in destiny. So, according to her, if two people are meant to be together they'll be; the fate would decide the time though. Until then, they've to be content with signals that will remind them of their soulmates. Two perfect strangers bump into each other on a Christmas evening while shopping for gloves. Jonathan feels instant spark, but Sarah is not so sure. She would rather wait for an appropriate time. For now, they would spend a wonderful evening together. At the end of that, Jonathan gets to know her first name. Years pass by; they are about to get married to two different persons. But, hardly there have been a day when didn't think of each other. What they do now? It's a passionately romantic movie. Not too much drama like Titanic. It has the flavor 'Sweet November'. The comedy is kept to minimum. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale have played their parts convincingly. Beckinsale is adorable, and Cusack has some bohemian charm. His disheveled look sometime contradicts his Romeo-like role. But it contributes positively to his constant confusedness. The ending is so predictable. Only that it may not happen when you think. Peter Chelsom deserves applaud for making a beautiful film, even though when you know what would happen next.

Since I have always wondered about fate/destiny and the alike, it was not for one moment, hard for me to embrace this movie. To me, this movie signifies the importance of saying what you feel and feeling what you say. All to often in life people pass each other by and subsequently up all because of being afraid to feel, say, think, and of what others will think. I have tried to become more honest in my life as a result of seeing this movie.

The plot premise, in a particularly streamlined nutshell: In holiday-season Manhattan, Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) meet cute and, although they both have Significant Others, they end up spending a charming and romantic evening on the town (including coffee and dessert at the aptly-named Serendipity III restaurant). Despite their obvious chemistry, Sara insists on leaving their future up to fate (she turns out to be a therapist, so you'd think she'd know better, but more on that momentarily), whereupon they get separated in the Waldorf=Astoria. Years later, Sara and Jon are both engaged to other people, but can't stop thinking about one another, so they each take a last stab at finding each other again before their respective nuptials. Knowing what a big John Cusack fan I am, a friend of mine recommended I rent SERENDIPITY. Between a parade of people phoning us and our own busy schedules, however, I had almost as much trouble getting to finally sit down and watch the DVD from start to finish as Jon and Sara did trying to get back together in the film itself! But it was worth the effort: even though I was growling at Sara under my breath for being so stupid as to leave their budding romance up to fate instead of running off with Jon when she had the chance (and was Sara so new to NYC that it never occurred to her that other people might take Jon's elevator in the Waldorf=Astoria during their decisive elevator race? Do fate and common sense have to be mutually exclusive?), I found Cusack and Beckinsale so endearing and so full of romantic chemistry (and they both looked yummy, I might add) that I found myself forgiving a lot and rooting for them to get back together. Marc Klein's script is so chock-full of funny and frustrating near-misses that at times I found SERENDIPITY as suspenseful as a Hitchcock film! :-) NYC and San Francisco locations are used wonderfully (I was pleased to see that although the second floor of Serendipity III as shown in the film was quiet enough for Sara and Jon to hear each other talk, it was still as crowded as it usually is on a holiday week! :-). Cusack and Beckinsale are surrounded by a delightful supporting cast, too, particularly Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon as their respective best friends and the scene-stealing Eugene Levy as an officious, self-serving Bloomingdale's salesman. I also found it refreshing that the filmmakers didn't take the obvious route of making the leads' current Significant Others so horrible that you can't imagine what attracted Our Heroes to these creeps in the first place (that sort of thing always makes me lose respect for both the protagonist *and* the screenwriter). Bridget Moynihan and John Corbett (did the casting directors just stroll on over to the set of SEX AND THE CITY one day and say "Who's free to make a movie?" :-) were appealing enough that I could understand what Cusack and Beckinsale saw in them, yet they were just self-absorbed enough and not-quite-on-our-heroes'-wavelength enough that I didn't feel bad when they got dumped. If romantic whimsy is your bag, give SERENDIPITY a try.

This charming romantic comedy has all the right ingredients and serves up a bouillabaisse of schmaltzy romance and slapstick fun. Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sara (Kate Beckinsale) meet in Bloomingdales when they both want to purchase the same pair of gloves. The attraction is instant and they spend a romantic evening cavorting around New York City together. At the end of the evening John wants to see her again, but Sara decides that if it is fate that they should be together, they will find each other again. She drives away in a cab and he never sees her again. Well, almost never.

Years go by and both of them are about to be married, but each still has this nagging feeling that the other was his/her one true love. Of course fate conspires to bring them back together (after about a dozen near misses) as they each simultaneously undertake one last attempt to find one another just before they get married to someone else.

The fate angle is plowed mercilessly, almost to the point of nausea, but the skits are funny and the chemistry between Cusack and Beckinsale is enchanting. Cusack is an expert at playing the tortured and neurotic lover, but here he is more haunted and forlorn than dysfunctional, and it plays much better than his previous two characters in `High Fidelity' and `America's Sweethearts'.

Kate Beckinsale rocketed from obscurity to prominence with her performance in `Pearl Harbor' and proves to be a wonderful romantic lead in this film. She is breezy and adorable and spins a delightful web around Jonathan and the viewer. The film also benefits from outstanding comedic support from Jeremy Piven as Jonathan's best friend and devoted Sara sleuth. Piven's zany comedy proves to be the perfect complement to Cusack's wry despondency. Eugene Levy is a scream as the eccentric Bloomingdales salesman, who blackmails Jonathan into buying half the store to give him information from Sara's charge account.

All in all, this is an entertaining comedy that is insubstantial but delectable. I tend to give romantic comedies a little more slack, because I'm a sucker for this slush, and this is one of the better ones I've seen in a while so I rated it a 9/10. This lighthearted romp makes a great date flick, but if serious drama is your preference stay away.