Serendipity Movie Review

I must admit I'm going to be a bit biased in my review of the new romantic comedy Serendipity, because that also defines how I met my current girlfriend. The magic and mystery of our fated encounter is also embodied in the quirkiness and freshness of the very funny and very romantic Serendipity. I am not a big fan of the romantic comedy genre, but something drew me to this film. Maybe it was the casting of the underrated Jeremy Piven in a supporting role, and the hilarious Eugene Levy. Maybe it was my hope that John Cusack would get the redemption he justly deserves after such crap as High Fidelity, Con Air, and Pushing Tin. But maybe it was because I feel as giddy as a school kid right now with this whole romantic thing currently in my life.

The story of Serendipity is simple. Two people, John Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale, looking ever so hot), have a chance encounter over a pair of gloves -- with Buck Henry smack dab in the middle. Charmed beyond repair, these two knuckleheads grab a sundae together at a café called Serendipity, talk about that irresponsible thing called fate and the avenues it leads people down, and spend a few hours at the local ice skating rink. But with each of them already involved with other parties, Sara has John write his name and number on a $5 bill and she writes her name and number on a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera. Sara declares that if this "thing" -- let’s just call it love -- is destined to happen, fate will bring them together in the future.

Years later and on opposite coasts of America, John and Sara -- both engaged but still unsure whether they have found their soul mates -- decide to seek each other out to rest their doubts. What happens then is an enjoyable and often hilarious cat-and-mouse game with the fates – involving such items as mistaken identity, a Graduate homage, John Corbett as a freaky New Age musician, and Eugene Levy as an irate and crazed salesman -- to find out if that "thing" was right after all.

Fortunately, first-time screenwriter Marc Klein has sketched strong, well-rounded, characters to propel a predictable and corny narrative. Coupled with deft directing by Michael Chelsom (director of the very unfunny Town & Country and the very funny Funny Bones) and the use of time-lapse camera work to illustrate the passage of years -- the film comes off with genuine believability and sincerity. Both Piven and Molly Shannon make nice sidekick characters

On the flipside, films such as You’ve Got Mail, Made in Heaven, and even High Fidelity are the quiet inspirations for the film’s main journey at hand. But it's what happens to the unexpecting characters left behind in the romantic wake after John and Sara find happiness this is the most unsettling part of the picture.

This delightful little picture gets even better on DVD, with 15 minutes of deleted/alternate scenes (the first three scenes were reshoots -- the slightly stiffer originals are included here) and a commentary track from Chelsom. Recommended.

Follow her lead.