Forces of Nature (1999) 2 stars out of 4. Starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock.
Sometimes we film critics can be a bit too smart for our own good.
We watch a few minutes of a movie, size up the characters and situations and automatically assume we know what's going to transpire.
But then something strange and frightening happens, something that makes going to the movies worthwhile - the filmmaker surprises us. He pulls the cinematic rug out from under our feet and sends us sprawling on our collective behinds.
Thus it is with "Forces of Nature," a comedy-road picture starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock.
He's the straight-arrow guy with the dull job - writing blurbs for book covers.
She's the free spirit who has held every kind of job except rodeo clown.
They meet cute - he rescues her after their plane skids off the runway during takeoff.
And they are forced to take a long journey together even though they are incompatable opposites.
With all that, you literally connect the dots to the conclusion. Or can you?
Screenwriter Marc Lawrence and director Bronwen Hughes lead you down that garden path - with a few bumps - and then ...
Well, no more. You're going to have to see "Forces of Nature" to find out the rest.
True, the characters are cliched and predictable, the situations familiar. You know what is going to happen 10 minutes before it does.
The acting is simply by-the-numbers, for-the-paycheck. They don't seem to be putting any effort into trying to breathe any credibility into their characters.
Plus there's no chemistry. Affleck and Bullock merely seem to be spouting lines at each other. Both have done better.
So, do yourself a favor. See the first 10 minutes of "Forces of Nature," then hang around the lobby for about an hour and a few minutes. Return to see the last 10 minutes, go home and be satisfied.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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