FORCES OF NATURE by DeWyNGaLe Rating: B+
In the new romantic comedy Forces of Nature, Ben Affleck stars as Ben Holmes, a writer who is getting ready to be wed to Bridget, played by Maura Tierney. On the night of Ben's bachelor party, which he isn't having a lot of fun at, his dad suffers from a heart attack, which is one of the first signs that the wedding should either be delayed or canceled. His dad pulls through, but Ben is still emotionally upset. On the way to Savannah, Georgia, the location of his wedding, an accident occurs involving the plane he is flying, sending them into danger. Everyone is alright, but the girl who was sitting next to Ben on the plane, Sarah, played by Sandra Bullock, was knocked out in the accident. Ben takes her to help, and when she awakes she thinks of him as a life saver.
>From here on out, Sarah and Ben see a lot of each other during the film. Bullock is also on her way to Savannah, Georgia to visit her son who she hasn't seen in years. She wants to sell her bagel shop she owns with her husband for $25,000 to help pay for her young song's college when he becomes older. Many problems arise while Ben is trying to get to Savannah to get married, such as trees hitting cars, not having money, and many other events that may be showing signs that he shouldn't marry Bridget. He becomes closer and closer to Sarah the longer they are together with each other. Ben is now two days late, and Bridget is starting to take interest in another man other than Ben. They both feel bad for the actions they are taking part in, and still are determined to pull this wedding off. More and more obstacles send Ben out of the way of the wedding, landing many funny moments for Bullock and Affleck.
Affleck and Bullock are really good together, although their relationship wasn't quite as believable as they wanted it to be. It was difficult to think that a man would fall in love with another woman other than his fiancee after two short, long days. During the middle of the film, it is a pretty predictable time while Ben and Sarah are traveling at almost all times. The last 3/4 of the film was wonderful. It was a lot different that other romantic comedies, and it felt like it was almost a different genre. The last 3/4 led to a very unpredictable, but realistic, ending which I was happy that they put into the movie. It was a big risk to have the ending they did, but it was pulled off very realistically.
The characters of Ben and Sarah are a lot of fun to watch. They are both likable characters who have a lot of depth towards them. Ben seemed to change personalities a lot, which I didn't like much. Affleck was still good, but not on the same level as Bullock. In my opinion, Bullock was extraordinary, and she is definitely headed in the right track after making a few flops. As a result of the characters being likable, the suspense between the two was great. Because the characters were so well told, you could get into the movie really easily and shout out things that you want them to do to be together.
A few scenes in Forces of Nature that I thought were very different and new were a few scenes were rain was coming down. The raindrops looked like crystals falling from the sky. They looked very fake, but it was also a very neat thing to watch. The other cinematography highlights in the film are the beautiful sites that Ben and Sarah encounter on their journey to Savannah, Georgia. The sound in the film is also good. The background music is generally fast and upbeat, which really sets the mood for the way the characters behave. The trailers for the film made it look like Forces of Nature would be a hysterical comedy, but I got more of a human emotions comedy/drama. I liked the fact a lot that they could make you laugh and also make you think about decisions you will make in your own life at the same time.
The Bottom Line- A variation on the romantic comedy genre has finally strolled around, and it's a hit.
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