SERENDIPITY -----------
When Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale, "Pearl Harbor") both reach for the same pair of gloves in the midst of Bloomingdale's Christmas shopping madness, sparks fly. While both were grabbing those gloves as a gift for a significant other, John wants to pursue possibilities, but Sara's a fatalist who believes that if they're meant to be, they'll be blessed with "Serendipity."
Unfortunately, John Cusack, the romantic comedy lead of a generation, comes up 0 for 2 in 2001 (as has its director Peter Chelsom following up "Town and Country"). While "America's Sweethearts" had its moments, few went his way, and the film, overall, didn't live up to its potential. Cusack is in his element here as a sincere, thoroughly charming, hopeless romantic, but "Serendipity" is a labored, joyless film.
Although it's obvious Jon and Sara have made a connection, Sara proceeds to throw up painfully obvious screenwriting 101 obstacles designed to keep them apart until the end of the film. She has Jon write his name and telephone number on a five dollar bill which is put into circulation to see if she ever comes across it again. To be fair, she writes her name (which she hasn't given to Jon) and number inside a hardcover copy of "Love in the Time of Cholera," telling Jon she'll sell it to one of the hundreds of used book stores in New York City. To give Jon one last chance, she has him board a different elevator in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, spinning the roulette wheel on them both hitting the same floor's button - of course they do, but Jon is sidelined by an obnoxious tyke who hits the button of every floor in between and so he misses Sara by a hair's breadth.
Years later, Jon is engaged to Hally (Bridget Moynahan, "Coyote Ugly") but still pining for the mysterious Englishwoman, much to his best buddy, New York Times' obit writer Dean's (Jeremy Piven, "Rush Hour 2") consternation. Now in San Francisco, Sara's fiance is New Age Nordic flutist Lars (John Corbett, HBO's "Sex and the City"), yet she also has misgivings met with disgust by her best friend Eve (Molly Shannon, "Superstar"). As Lars' career threatens to overshadow their upcoming nuptials, Sara flees to NYC, dragging Eve along under false pretenses.
It's generally not a good sign when a film's stars' sidekicks generate greater
empathy with the audience than the stars themselves. Cusack mainly suffers from having to be attracted to a ridiculous character, but Beckinsale is forced to make one unbelievable move after another by Marc Klein's script. John Corbett does a bravura filmic turn as Lars, generating some of the film's best laughs as the self-important, yet likeable, cult/trendy musician. Cusack buddy Jeremy Piven also gets mileage out of being the sounding board to, yet admiring of nonetheless, his dementedly romantic friend. Molly Shannon, so fearless in the underrated "Superstar," makes Eve the type of feet-on-the-ground friend every woman should have. Eugene Levy, as a Bloomingdale's salesman, is funny initially, although his presence in the film becomes more and more forced, particularly in the thud-echoing coda.
Director Chelsom, who created the whimsical "Hear My Song," vastly underrated "Funny Bones" and sweetly fantastical "The Mighty," can't obscure the rigging which holds up a plot that should be lighter than air. Cinematographer John de Borman's work can't be faulted, showcasing NYC in all its romantic holiday finery and making the 'if it's meant to be-ness' ironic with timelapse overhead shots of New York City's everyday chaos. Kudos to whoever created Lars' wonderfully wacky music and accompanying insane video.
"Serendipity" per Webster's dictionary is 'the faculty of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for,' while "Serendipity" the film strenuously searches for things that should just be, but aren't.
C-
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