Happy Accidents
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Movie Reviews of Happy Accidents
Movie Review: Is Perfect acceptable :)) ?
Summary: 5 Stars
I only hope that this movie has made millions. Intelligent, full of feeling and a LOT of fun. It would be hard to make a sequel, but what a story !!!! Loved it.Movie Review: Happy Accidents
Summary: 5 Stars
A fun feel good movie and certainly a welcome addition to my collection of Vincent D'Onofrio movies.Movie Review: I loved this movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I really loved this movie.It was very well acted and kept me interested throughout the film.Movie Review: Is Sam crazy or did he really come back in time for Ruby?
Summary: 4 Stars
"Happy Accidents" is a film that creates a delicate balance between one of two alternative explanations for the character of Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio). He has turned what appears to be a chance encounter with Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei) into a relationship. Sam says he comes from Dubuque, Iowa, and he sticks to that claim throughout the movie, except eventually he reveals that the Dubuque he is from is a coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean because of a couple of ice ages in between now and 2436, which is when Sam traveled back in time. Now, of course, this guy is crazy. But Sam is as charming as he is crazy, in a quirky sort of way, and every time Ruby is read to cut bait and run, he finds a way of pulling her back in to his bizarre version of the truth.
Most of the story is told in flashback as Ruby describes this strange relationship to her therapist (Holland Taylor), who can tell her exactly what is wrong with Sam. Clearly a crisis point has been reached and a final, fateful decision needs to be made. Ruby does not need her therapist to remind her that she has a history of being an enabler. After all, her mother, Lillian (Tovah Feldshuh) was a co-dependent who endured a marriage to an alcoholic for years before finding the strength to make him go sober, so there is a clearly a pattern to break here. Then there is Ruby's best friend, Gretchen (Nadia Dajani), who dismisses Sam's actions as just a "game" no different from her boyfriend pretending to be someone else in the bedroom.
Clearly there are pressures pulling Ruby is different directions, but the strongest of those come from Sam himself as he offers explanations for what the future is like and the rules for time travel every time Ruby pokes a hole in his story. Supposedly Sam had a sister who drowned and no photographs of her; but there is a photograph of a young girl and a dog in Sam's wallet. Then there is Sam's notebook with the name of another woman written prominently in it several times. But Sam offers an incredibly romantic explanation for why he has come back in time and an explanation of the principle of time travel that he demonstrates on Ruby's leg that is quite compelling.
"Happy Accidents" works so well because of the believability of D'Onofrio and Tomei. His quirkiness bothered me, but despite that I find myself liking the guy; which is exactly the point. Tomei's character is caught in a web of conflicting thoughts and desires and every time the pendulum swings the arc is getting bigger and bigger. But every single time we make up our mind as to what is really going on, another substantive seed of doubt is thrown into the mix. The credit for this goes to writer-director Brad Anderson ("Next Stop, Wonderland") who constructs the story so that Sam keeps getting the benefit of the doubt. Eventually we get to the point where we want to believe, even if it is not true. Sam makes us want to believe even when logic and the holes in his story tells us that we should not.
Ultimately the mixture of romantic comedy and science fiction, or at least pseudo-science fiction, may or may not appeal to some viewers, but it does provide pretty good prospects for a date flick. But I think there will be others who were surprised to find out how much they liked this movie about the power of love. That might all be changed by the way this one plays out in the end and I can easily see three or four places where you might decide that "Happy Accidents" jumps the track and the magic ends for you. The ending was not totally satisfying to me, but parts of if were and whatever problems the end game might have do not detract away from the stellar performances of D'Onofrio and Tomei.
Movie Review: Marisa Tomei and Vincent DOnfrio give much needed substance
Summary: 4 Stars
The romantic comedy is something that people go to see because they know what will happen. The audience finds comfort in the fact that even though the plot may seem different, and the actors are new, the movie they are about to see is most likely going to be just like the romantic comedy they saw a month earlier. Brad Anderson's new romantic comedy "Happy Accidents" takes the basic concept that is known as the romantic comedy a step further.The movie stars Marisa Tomei as Ruby Weaver, a New Yorker trying to overcome her codependency issues and find Mr. Right. When she meets Sam Deed, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio, she falls immediately in love and he moves in with her within a week. As they relationship grows, Ruby begins to notice that Sam has many overly odd traits, he doesn't like dogs, has problems with everyday concepts, and has spells where he seems to be in a trance. Sam's explanation is that he is a back-traveler, actually from the year 2470, and that he came back when he saw a picture of her and fell instantly in love with her. Ruby at first takes this to be a new role playing game between the two and plays along, but as time progresses she sees that Sam isn't joking around. From here on out the picture focuses on the relationship and how Ruby deals with either believing Sam or accepting the fact that he is crazy and leaving him.
As Ruby, Tomei puts in quite a good performance. She doesn't seem to overplay the role and does a respectable job with a character that is in what seems to be a very silly situation. Likewise D'Onofrio takes Sam and makes him very realistic, even though the nature of his character is not one of a real disposition. The best scenes in the movie happen when it is just Tomei and D'Onforio on the screen; their chemistry seems to be entirely genuine.
The movie is overall, fairly predictable in terms of plot, but Anderson does a good job of providing the audience with meaningful insight into relationships in present day society. The almost ludicrous situation reveals truths that bring into play the concepts of idealism in relationships, and the trust we must provide our partners. The other way in which Anderson successfully brings "Happy Accidents" a step above the average romantic comedy are scenes in which Sam experiences his trances, which are actually time moving backward. During these scenes the audience is allowed to see through the eyes of Sam, and time seems to stop as the scene begins to replay itself backwards in slow motion. While this may seem like a distracting element, it actually adds reflection time to the film. The typical romantic comedy moves quickly and often doesn't give the audience much time to even think about the deeper issues at hand, (granted in many the issues aren't all that deep), but here Anderson not only gives his film substantial subject matter, he actually allows time for the audience to process it.
At first glance, "Happy Accidents" appears to be your average romantic comedy, with the basic plot, simplistic acting, and predictable ending. And while it is true that the movie is not overly complex, with overly dramatic acting, and a million twists and turns, Brad Anderson brings "Happy Accidents" to the next level. He takes the fundamental aspects of the romantic comedy genre and gives them substance. In turn he creates a movie that is actually interesting and relevant in today's society, making the enjoyment of the film anything but an accident