Bounce (2000) ...
| Released: | 2000 |
| Running Time: | 96 min. |
| Cast: | Ben Affleck Gwyneth Paltrow |
| Writers: | Don Roos |
| Director: | Don Roos |
| My Rating | *** |
An advertising
executive, Buddy (Affleck), switches plane tickets with another man, Greg, at
the airport as a favor. Greg dies when his plane crashes. After going to rehab
and trying to build up his life Buddy seeks to meet the family Greg left behind,
then falls in love with the deceased man's widow, Abby (Paltrow), and her two
children.
This is an above average love story that deals with fate and destiny in a way that, at times, bring out a few groans, but in the long run develops into an interesting relationship between the stars. Ben Affleck gets a lot of bad reviews, but I've always found him to be a reasonably capable actor and in Bounce, he does a good job of playing his character as a man who's torn between divulging his secret and trying to avoid doing so for selfish purposes.
The real life story behind this film was the
on-again, off-again romance of the two stars which may have had an effect on the
box office. However, the love story that develops from the initial tragedy seems
to evolve in a credible manner and the two starsmanage to come across as regular
people who must dig deep into themselves to come to terms with what fate and
destiny has laid before them.
For the
most part, I like Ben Affleck's acting, regardless of the critics who have made
a habit of picking on him for the past few years. He manages to go through all
the emotions that would certain plague anyone in his sitiation in a realistic
manner. Gwyneth brings her usual charm to the character and a lovableness that
makes you feel sad that she's had to deal with so much difficulty.
Bounce isn't a romantic movie that will challenge for the greatest romantic movie of all time, but it's a well written story that will be enjoyed by any fan of the leading actors or anyone he just likes a good cry at the movies.
