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The Movie: Using two of their usual stars, Miramax finally brought together power couple Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow (or as most seem to call them "Benneth") in a movie where they star together (for the whole movie - "Shakespeare In Love" doesn't count). Although the two of them argue that they aren't together anymore, that's entirely unfortunate, as they end up being one of the most convincing romantic screen couples that I've seen in a long while. "Bounce" has some story flaws, gets a little long towards the end, and seems a bit edited at times. But I didn't really care, because the two were so good. Affleck plays Buddy Amaral, an advertising executive who gives his plane ticket to another man(Tony Goldwyn) he meets in an airport - he wants to spend a little more time with a woman he just met (Natasha Henstridge). The plane goes down with no survivors and Buddy feels horrible, starting to drink and going into rehab. Soon after, Buddy contacts Abby (Paltrow), the wife of the man he gave the ticket to. She's working as a real estate agent, and he's able to involve her when his company moves to a new building so she can get a commission. From there, the two begin to fall for one another, but of course, the secret of how Buddy knows her still exists. Paltrow finally plays "normal" and does it beautifully. We believe that she is a real single parent with two kids who is just trying to provide the best for her children. Affleck's performance is easily his best work, as his dramatic moments are engaging and believable. Cinematography by Robert Elswit also is wonderfully delicate and subtle, and it adds a great deal to the proceedings. Writer/Director Don Roos has done a fine job here; the dialogue is above-average, but I felt that there was some moments that seem like material was edited out - this may not have been his choice, but Miramax's, though. "Bounce" goes back to the rule for romance - do we want to follow these two through the usual obstacles to see them get together? For "Bounce", the answer is yes. There are parts of the story that are predictable, but there are enough little twists to keep us engaged throughout. Most of all, I liked how the movie keeps the drama at a neutral level and doesn't make it too sappy or overdone; it just goes along on it's subtle way and lets us get to know its characters. "Bounce" occasionally goes over some bumps, but after a long line of incredibly predictable romances, the film is very enjoyable - it definitely won me over. |