FORCES OF NATURE Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: **1/2 (out of ****) DreamWorks SKG / 1:42 / 1999 / PG-13 (language, thematic material) Cast: Sandra Bullock; Ben Affleck; Maura Tierney; Steve Zahn; Blythe Danner; Ronny Cox; Meredith Scott Lynn; David Strickland Director: Bronwen Hughes Screenplay: Marc Lawrence; Ian Bryce; Donna Roth
Sandra Bullock's girl-next-door sunniness is appealing in the same way that Ben Affleck's swarthy-but-affable ease is appealing, so it's reasonable to presume that a movie featuring their respective appeals will be, um, appealing as well. "Forces of Nature," one such romantic comedy, lives up to that precursor despite saddling these actors with roles that might seem to contradict their proven likability: She's a wild child with hefty emotional baggage while he's a harried, straightforward bundle of nerves. The casting goes completely against type, but Bullock and Affleck's stars shine brightly even when the film gets dangerously dim - which is also, unfortunately, how it ends up.
The story is basically composed of a string of natural and man-made disasters that lead this nice-looking but evidently mismatched pair to profess their mutual affection for each other. So far, so fun, as this much of Forces delivers largely entertaining fluff. What happens in the dire aftermath, however, is best described as forced. It's not fair for a movie to be amusing within the confines of several standard cinematic conventions - the Meet Cute, the Opposites Attract and the Road Movie among them - and then bungle the moment of truth and subsequent climax and finale. They suck the mirth right out of the air and might leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Thank goodness for Bullock and Affleck, then, who click even in the most contrived of circumstances. They first share screen time on a New York-to-Georgia flight that, due to a nasty accident involving a seagull and a wing engine, never gets off the ground. Affleck's Ben (no stretch there) already has the jitters because he's en route to his opulent wedding in Savannah, and said mishap doesn't exactly set his mind at ease - especially after grandpa keeled over at the bachelor party only to confide on his hospital bed that marriage is nothing but constricting chaos.
Despite these two seemingly isolated incidents of ill will, Ben hooks up with Bullock's fellow passenger and free spirit Sarah (what, they didn't want to call her Sandra?) for alternate travel strategies - she's headed his way, so he figures he'll share the joys of outrageous fortune. But one bit of bad luck turns into another, and soon, Ben and Sarah have gotten arrested, robbed and quite wet from the torrential downpour of rain and hail that follows them almost about everywhere - shot as beautiful visual compositions by "Out of Sight" cinematographer Elliot Davis - and these are merely a few of the crises they endure while trying to go south.
Such lively misadventures, which comprise a bulk of "Forces of Nature," take a cue from "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" in their growing absurdity and vehicular setting - aside from the aforementioned airliner tragedy, Ben and Sarah inadvertently run into railroad trouble and hitch a ride from a friendly hophead, though not in that order. Meanwhile, "Forces of Nature" cuts back and forth between their plight and Ben's bride, waiting by the phone and expecting the worst. This fairly thankless part is filled by Maura Tierney, who was also given the thankless part of Jim Carrey's wife in "Liar Liar," and she's further hampered by an equally thankless subplot in which a successful ex tempts her.
Of course, that flummox would be forgivable had Affleck and Tierney's guaranteed nuptial-day reunion and its aftermath rang true, but for once, an unpredictable, anti-Hollywood send-off flops. A powerful hurricane hits the area just in time for this conclusion, and tosses the colorful decor about in its mighty winds like rainbow confetti. It's a pretty sight, but it makes one wonder if anybody in front of the camera pays attention to the Weather Channel, or if anybody behind it couldn't think of a better way to cap off an otherwise enjoyable movie.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "Remember that old college boy joke about how, after sex, the ideal women turns into a pizza and a six-pack? In this movie, the ideal man turns into a vibrator and Ted Koppel." -Roger Ebert on "Let's Talk About Sex"
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