FORCES OF NATURE RATING: 7 / 10 --> Good movie
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Take a few elements from the successful Meg Ryan flicks like SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (6.5/10) and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (9/10), merge them into a "can't seem to get home" type travelling disaster idea like PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES (8/10), and you've pretty much got the gist of this film starring the good-looking faces of Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock.
PLOT: Man is about to get married to woman. Man meets "other woman" on a plane accident. Man and other woman attempt to make it down to Georgia, where his wedding is to take place and where she owns a business, but bad travel luck, keeps slowing them down. Their time together brings them closer, and drips small specks of doubt into the man's original idea of marrying the original woman.
CRITIQUE: Entertaining, magical, romantic comedy that doesn't pretend to break new ground with its concepts, but does offer an always interesting story, two charming leads, and a non-stop festive soundtrack. Its biggest strength lies in its two main actors, without whom, the movie might've whimpered into video-bottom shelf-hell. Sandra Bullock is cute, different and always fun to watch in this movie, and Ben Affleck shows us that he can actually play co-banana in a film (without Matt Damon) and come off as an amusing and effective performer. This movie was also very well directed and offered quite a few original shots and picturesque sequences. I'm not gonna pretend that its story line revolutionizes the romantic comedy genre, but certainly, it is one of the better ones to come along in a while.
It talks about fate, love, marriage and the endless amount of subjective questions that we all have to ask ourselves at one point in our lives. Is this the person with whom I want to spend the rest of my living days on this planet? This question is pondered over by many a love critic in this film, and offered very little in actual resolution. There is no real answer anyway, the answer lies within all of us. I personally would've preferred an alternate ending to the one that is tacked onto this one, but I suppose that I might be able to appreciate it more over time. All in all, this movie is fun to watch, fun to listen to and fun to discuss. If you're in love, falling in love, hoping to fall in love, or still wishing over that falling star, watch this fantastical movie and enjoy its easy blend of humor, tender moments and general entertainment.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Actor David Strickland, who plays the ex-boyfriend of Ben Affleck's fiancé in this movie, hung himself in a Las Vegas motel room, only three days after this movie opened in the United States. He was 29 years of age at the time of his death. Ben Affleck has one directing gig to his credit. It was a short film he made while studying at Occidental College in 1993. It was called I KILLED MY LESBIAN WIFE, HUNG HER FROM A MEAT HOOK, AND I HAVE A THREE-PICTURE DEAL AT DISNEY. He was one of the many future stars to act in Richard Linklater's 1993 film DAZED AND CONFUSED (7/10). Others included Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Renee Zelwegger, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich and Joey Lauren Adams. He reportedly pocketed about $7,000 for his starring role in CHASING AMY (7/10), and $600,000 for his role in ARMAGEDDON (8/10). He stands 6'4". Sandra Bullock's middle name is Annette. She is the daughter of a German opera singer and an American voice coach, and is a huge fan of Dr. Seuss. She made $500,000 her role in the original SPEED (7.5/10), and $12,500,000 for SPEED 2 (5/10). She stands 5'7". Director Bronwen Hughes' directorial debut was 1996's HARRIET THE SPY. This is her second feature. Screenwriter Marc Lawrence also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Goldie Hawn/Steve Martin flick, THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS.
Review Date: March 24, 1999 Director: Bronwen Hughes Writer: Marc Lawrence Producers: Susan Arnold, Ian Bryce and Donna Roth Actors: Ben Affleck as Ben, Sandra Bullock as Sarah Genre: Romantic Comedy Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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