RANDOM HEARTS **1/2 (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles S. Dutton, Dennis Haysbert, Bonnie Hunt, Richard Jenkins and Sydney Pollack Director-Sydney Pollack Rated PG Sony
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Random Hearts is a frustrating experience, because the initial premise behind it is more than interesting enough to warrant two hours of thought-provoking material. Unfortunately, due to a mishandled approach by director Sydney Pollack and an elementary screenplay by Kurt Luedtke, the film becomes a tedious exercise in unlikely romance. Despite a few exceptional features to note, Random Hearts is a needlessly drawn-out and altogether painful experience.
The set-up of Random Hearts is absorbing, enticing the viewer with just the right dosage of intrigue and suspense. Pollack introduces us to the main characters with natural ease, and although during the first twenty minutes his palette is full of meaty plot details, he handles everything with refreshing efficiency. We meet Dutch Van Den Broeck (Harrison Ford), a Washington DC police officer in the Internal Affairs division, and Kay Chandler (Kristin Scott Thomas), a congresswoman in the wake of running for office. What do these two unlikely souls have in common? Well, their spouses are having a secret affair, and both are about to slip away for a romantic getaway in Miami.
The flight that Mrs. Van Den Broeck and Mr. Chandler are on crashes. This tragedy is unbeknownst to Dutch and Kay, who were informed of a different destination. After a detailed investigation, Dutch realizes that his wife was not off at a catalogue shoot as she had led on. One discovery leads to another, and soon he ascertains that she was on the flight, and seated next to a male companion (Mr. Chandler, of course). Confronting Kay with this evidence, Dutch insists on learning how the affair began. The congresswoman, however, doesn't want to have her reputation scarred by these accusations involving her husband.
Random Hearts is about finding love during a time of great loss. We know with certainty that Dutch and Kay are going to hit it off, despite their awkward position. That's no surprise. What is a glaring surprise is that their romance is poorly structured, rushed and completely unconvincing. The single moment in which the film loses it's balance completely occurs when Dutch and Kay hop into a car, and, after a few brief seconds of vented anger, begin to suck each other's faces like two lovesick octopi. All believability is immediately discarded in favor of staging an implausible romance. The audience is supposed to relate, but they rarely do.
The 2nd act of this hapless production is filled with ludicrous dialogue and sloppy romantic exchanges. You have to look very deep into the characters of Dutch and Kay to find any affable reason or remorse that would normally revolve around the situation. Ford does some solid work here, but sadly, important details of Dutch's personal life are left untouched. It's difficult to show even remote interest in him. Scott Thomas' character resembles an unfeeling piece of plastic, until Kay finally begins to come around and reveal a discernible personality. The stars try and try willingly to save Random Hearts from the black hole it seems destined for, but have little success. In supporting roles, Charles S. Dutton and Dennis Haysbeart are reliable, but neither is used often enough to register.
During a few crucial moments in Random Hearts, I felt as if I would slip into a coma. Pollack meanders endlessly around the central issues of the script, managing to keep the viewer at an arm's length throughout. This creates a difficult task: how do you become engaged in the story when the director prohibits it? The film, which clocks in at a lengthy 2 hours, 20 minutes, could have been shortened by a healthy half-hour.
I enjoyed bits and pieces of the romance, including a surprisingly genuine ending that felt much sunnier than most of the garbage that preceeded it. I only wish Random Hearts would have been a different, more intelligent and involving movie. Dedicated romantics may find something to like here - but most, I'm afraid, will be exiting the theater in random disgust.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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