Like some pseudo-exotic punch that mixes kiwi juice and strawberry nectar, "Forces of Nature" combines the terrors of "Twister" and the comic chaos of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," tossing in a dash or two of "It Happened One Night" for good measure.
But though Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck generate a certain amount of goodwill and director Bronwen Hughes proves she can conjure up a colorful scene, the comedy - like the airplane its central characters meet aboard - doesn't quite get off the ground.
What's frustrating about "Forces" is that all the right elements seem to be in place. The supporting cast (Steve Zahn, Blythe Danner, Maura Tierney, etc.) is full of familiar faces and the movie is awash in eye-appealing pastels and impressive computer-animated effects, including slow-motion rain for the stars to run through. The only thing missing is a comic spark to set the picture off.
Instead, Marc Lawrence's screenplay follows a familiar path, bringing seemingly jinxed travelers Ben (Affleck) and Sarah (Bullock) together on the long, long road from New York City to Savannah, Ga. Ben is going south for his wedding; Sarah's got personal business to settle. He's a "blurbmeister" who writes copy for book jackets (he touts a romance set in Egypt as "a scintillating tale of erotic mummification"); she's a semi-nutty jill-of-all trades, who claims to have worked as a salesperson, an exotic dancer and a flight attendant at various points in her career.
Detours along the way to their destinies include a drug bust, trouble on a train and a stay in a motel that's even scarier than the ones Diane Keaton photographed in her classic book "Reservations." Meanwhile, Ben's bride-to-be Bridget (Tierney) is trying to withstand the temptations of a good-looking lawyer (David Strickland) who woos her with off-key renditions of old Phil Collins' hits.
Bullock, with purple highlights in her hair and a clingy wardrobe, can play these kinds of charmingly ditsy roles in her sleep by now. Affleck has a slightly tougher row to hoe, since Lawrence's script doesn't exactly flesh Ben out. There's a sweetness in the way they bounce lines off each other, but the film doesn't fully explore the possibilities of either the stars' chemistry or the combination of genres in its storyline; ultimately, "Forces" is all thunder and no lightning.
James Sanford
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