Serendipity - Quando l'amore è magia

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.

Serendipity...I went to meet an old friend for drink that had just moved back in to town. I was running late, parked at the opposite end of the street where I always parked and missed them. I ran into another friend who asked, me to fill in on a dart team. Then I met a man who was at the next board and talked with him all night. At the end of the night I was walked to my car by one of the guys. On the way home our paths crossed again. To make a long story short we crossed paths again, and the next day he asked me to marry him. I waited two years and we have been married for twelve years. Unfortunately yes, I was in a relationship when we met. It does happen! Even though I thought this film had a few problems. I liked the actors, the story and for gosh sake stop being so cynical everyone!!!

Magic happens, if you let it; and sometimes even fate or destiny-- or whatever you want to call it-- steps in to lend a hand. But when it concerns love, and finding that special person you're going to spend the rest of your life with, should you risk tempting fate with a test of that love or what is seemingly meant to be, or should you just follow your apparent destiny and embrace it? Such are the questions two people must face and answer in the romantic comedy/drama `Serendipity,' directed by Peter Chelsom. Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) is shopping for a gift for his girlfriend, and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) is looking for something for her boyfriend when they reach for the same pair of gloves on a rack at Bloomingdales. And the wheels of fate are quickly turning. Or are they? Jonathan and Sara proceed to spend the next few hours together, including a romantic interlude skating in New York's Central Park, and there are definite sparks flying between them. For Jonathan, it's a significant emotional experience, and he realizes something has happened, that something has changed in his life; Sara feels the same, but being a true believer in destiny, she needs a sign that this is meant to be before she'll consider pursuing whatever it is that's just happened between them. So she puts it to the test. And for Jonathan, knowing only that her name is Sara, it's the beginning of an odyssey-- a quest-- to find true love with the woman he already knows in his heart of hearts that he wants to share his life with. For Sara, it's the beginning of a search for love, and for that one special person she knows is destined to be her soul mate forever. They both find, however, that the path to pure love is filled with every obstacle the known universe could possibly place in their way. And is the journey worth it? Well, in the end, it all comes down to what fate has predetermined. Or does it?

In the tradition of such films as `Sleepless In Seattle' and `You've Got Mail,' Chelsom has fashioned a truly romantic tale of two people who are absolutely destined to be together, no matter what. And-- as the audience knows early on-- nothing less will be acceptable. Hanks and Ryan may be missing, but the charismatic Cusack and the beguiling Beckinsale more than make up for it, carving out their own niche in the genre with this outing, and Chelsom has just enough of that Nora Ephron touch (including the use of music, matching the perfect song with every situation) to make it work. The chances of things ever happening in real life the way they do in this movie are about twice as remote as winning the lottery, but who cares? This is a heartwarming fable about love-- about the way we `want' love to be-- and it's delivered with an endearing care that makes it emotionally involving, entertaining and a thoroughly satisfying experience. And there's not a whole lot more you can ask of a movie, I think.

Cusack is so likable, and manages to convey the bedevilment of his situation with such facility, that the viewer is unequivocally drawn in from the beginning. You want things to work out for this guy-- and Sara, as well; and, of course, you're pretty confident from the outset they are going to. But along the way they make you feel something; they enable you to share the frustration as well as the elation that comes with discovering love, and perhaps finding that better part of yourself at the same time. And the fact that Cusack makes Jonathan so believable, and someone with whom you can identify, has more than a lot to do with it. It's a quality performance from an actor with the flexibility and range to do just about anything, and who never disappoints.

The other half of the equation for success, of course, belongs to Beckinsale, who is not only beautiful, but a good actor who infuses her character with a touch of mystery and complexity that makes her winsome and interesting. Like Cusack's Jonathan, Sara is someone you can root for; you want to see her get what she wants and what she deserves. This isn't a perfect world we live in, and we all know it; but for Sara and Jonathan you want it to be. There's a chemistry between the two of them, and they make it so easy for you to project your own feelings and desires into their situation, that there's no getting around it. If they win, you win. It's that simple. And even though they take you over some rough spots along the way, it's a fun trip and Beckinsale and Cusack-- Sara and Jonathan-- make it a journey worth taking.

The supporting cast includes Molly Shannon, Jeremy Piven, Bridget Moynahan and Eugene Levy (who is terrific-- and hilarious-- as a sales clerk at Bloomingdales). A handsome film that touches all the right nerves and pushes all the right buttons, `Serendipity' has a gentle sensibility about it that addresses the notions of romance and love that reside within us all. And it's refreshingly presented in a way that is pure and inoffensive; and as such it allows you to open up and embrace something of value without having to apologize for it, and without implying you have to be `hip' to appreciate it. Because it's all about love and sharing love, which is something we can all use a little more of in this world we live in today. And that's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 9/10.

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.

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.