K-PAX

K-PAX is exactly what a heart warming film should be. The story is about a mysterious mental patient Prot, played by Kevin Spacey, and his unbelieving psychiatrist Dr. Powel, played by Jeff Bridges. The two have a very friendly bond, and as their relationship grows Dr. Powel can't help but wonder whether or not there is more to his mysterious patient, who insists he is from another planet called K-PAX. This film is very funny, and Kevin Spacey pulls of well placed one liners as if it was his second nature. K-PAX is a smart film, and I wasn't expecting it to go where it did. In the end, I found myself thinking about the small things in life, and the wonder and magic of the every day life we so often take for granted. I left the theater with a warm fuzzy feeling inside, and for families and couples on a date, K-PAX is a splendid film, that will not disappoint. I highly recommend this film to anyone interested in something more than the monotonous releases of glossy, action packed, gore fests.

K-Pax is such a refreshing watch, especially in 2020 you can really appreciate how quiet and subtle the atmosphere throughout the entire film is. No shootings, explosions, CGI alien scenes, or any sense of common Hollywood allure. This is truly a hidden gem, maybe because it was mis-marketed pre release as a comedy, and although it has it's humorous touch in no way should it be considered a comedy. K-Pax is an extremely thought provoking Sci-Fi/Drama and Kevin Spacey was spectacular as the lead in whoever you want to interpret his character Prot to be (mentally deranged human or alien from planet K-Pax). I genuinely can't think of a better fit to be lead of this highly under appreciated 2001 motion picture. K-Pax is a supremely enjoyable cinematic experience.

Due to a very misleading advertising campaign, I saw this film in theatres at the relatively young age of 10. The trailers on TV portrayed the film as a comedy, and I bugged my parents until they took me. After seeing the movie, I was blown away. I had no idea what to think. Totally different than anything I had seen before, leaving far to many questions for such a young mind. Needless to say, I loved it. This morning was the first time I'd watched in in probably 2-3 years, and I still think it's one of the greatest films made in the last decade. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges are both in top form, as a mysterious man who may or may not be from another planet, and the psychiatrist that develops a bond with him while trying to decipher his mystery. The supporting cast are near perfect as well, each resident of the mental institution is incredibly convincing in their own way. The open ending was handled very well, giving lots of evidence to support whatever you believe happened in the end. How this movie failed to receive at least a nomination in that year's Oscars is beyond me. If you haven't seen this film, run to Wal-Mart RIGHT NOW. The DVD is usually in the bargain bin, pick it up!

9.5/10

I can't believe I had never heard of this movie before I came across it. I mean, how have I not heard about a movie starring masterclass actors like Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges? The dialogue between these two characters was written extremely well. It's not often you can have a movie where there's this much sitting and talking between two charachters and not get bored. With this movie it's the exact opposite, you actually get sucked into the conversations because of how interesting they are. Probably my favorite aspect of this movie is the mystery that surrounds this whole dilemma. It keeps your mind active the entire time wondering whether Prot is in fact an alien, or just a man who's disillusioned. At different times they'll give clues to have you leaning one way or the other, but they'll never let you completely make up your mind. Overall, the talented acting and the skillfully crafted writing are what make this movie so enthralling to watch. This is one of those movies that definitely deserves more noteriety than it's gotten.

It never ceases to amaze me how people's minds work.

First, you have a brilliant actor - Kevin Spacey - pulling off perhaps the best acting performance of his career as Prot. He claims to be an alien, gets locked in mental institute (understandably), and knows all sorts of things he shouldn't know about astrophysics.

So is he an alien or isn't he? The psychiatrist, played by Bridges, tries to find out, but the question is ultimately left for the viewer to decide. That is what I love about the movie: it doesn't preach. It doesn't demand us to believe in Prot. But at the same time, the movie does raise some questions. Do we really know how the universe works? What if - that is the question this movie wants to - and manages to - raise.

Then you have the ending, which isn't Hollywood-like, it only slightly touches the usual clichés about family and stuff, yet it is hart-warming and beautiful in its own silly way. I won't go deep into it so I won't spoil it for anyone, but please watch closely throughout the movie, and be prepared to use your brains a bit at the end.

The movie also plays a lot with audiovisual stuff. Beams of light are shown throughout the movie accompanied with beautiful piano music, perhaps because Prot allegedly arrived on our planet with a beam of light. This play with light makes the movie a subtly beautiful experience.

Altogether, this is an incredible work of art.

So you have all this - and what do the critics say? Most of them simply call it cr*p, and if they bother to explain why they think this way, they mumble something about this movie belonging neither to the scifi genre nor to the psychological drama genre (like the critic of the Guardian magazine). Well, get this to your heads: A GOOD STORY DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE A CLEARLY DETERMINED GENRE.

I repeat, in case the professional critics didn't quite understand what I said.

A GOOD STORY DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE A...

...Ahh, what's the use. The critics ain't gonna understand it, no matter how much I yell. Luckily, there are always people who are open to a good story. This review is dedicated to those people.