In a perfect world, I'd be married to John Cusack. But since this is not a perfect world, and life is unfair, all I have are the fantasies of the kind of love Johnny and I could have shared.
We might have had that young, immature, slightly obsessed love seen in Cusack's Say Anything. Or maybe High Fidelity's cynical, angst- ridden love and misery. Finally, there's a third kind of love, the kind that makes us believe in fate, destiny and soulmates. The kind that doesn't quite transcend the silver screen into reality. It's this kind of fairy tale love that propels Serendipity, Peter Chelsom's slightly above-average romantic comedy.
The story is simple: Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sarah (Kate Beckinsale). Immediately they're smitten with each other, but tragically both already have significant others. Jon wants to see Sarah anyway, but Sarah pulls the "if fate want us to be together, we'll meet again" bullshit. And here is where the film really kicks into gear. Endearing adventures ensue as Jonathan and Sarah, both standing on the threshold of marriage, frantically search for each other.
The film isn't groundbreaking in any sense of the word. Nevertheless, it amusingly rehashes age-old questions about destiny and all that other good stuff. You will not walk out of the theater pondering the deep philosophical implications of such issues. But this film will have you walking out with a big, goofy smile on your face.
And so will the supporting cast. Jeremy Piven, Molly Shannon and Eugene Levy are no second fiddles to Cusack and Beckinsale. They might be one-dimensional, but, hey, at least they're funny.
Some things, however, can't be overlooked no matter how willing the audience. Chelsom employs almost every visual clich‚ in the book. Need to show passing time? Use computer-generated fast-moving clouds and juxtapose them to a spinning clock. Want to show your characters lost in their private world of love? Try soft lighting and slow motion.
But despite all these little knit-picky flaws, the film excels in one aspect--the ability to entertain. I squealed, I clapped and I almost fucking cried. It's a definite "must-see date film" for those of you looking to score or swoon... or just looking to imagine the kind of sweet luvin' you wish you had with John Cusack.
