Serendipity

I keep referring to the mushy stuff that dreams are made of quite often. I have also mentioned several times that I am a sucker for RomComs. I have never made bones about accepting that even the subtlest of differences in a romantic comedy is sufficient to please me. Then why should I not return a good review for Peter Chelsom’s best effort to date and what would remain his best effort in a long time to come. Every time we go to the movies, we look for that something different. And when we watch Love Stories then we are willing to believe even the impossible because of the warm feeling it leaves in our hearts at the end. Lets face it, most of us ARE SUCKERS for that warm happy feeling and loads of men would refuse to accept it unless they are in a drunken stupor or they are in a drunken stupor.


Serendipity - The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries – as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary.
The favourite word of Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) who believes, right from the bottom of her heart, that everything in this life has got to do with destiny. That if something were to happen then it eventually will irrespective of whether it happens today or years later.

Johanthan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas both reach out for the last pair of black gloves at the Bloomingdales counter at the same time. Its Christmas time in New York and both of them are in their best spirits so they let the other person have it. In between this, a random customer comes in and picks up the gloves. At this time, John and Sara together in extemporish fashion, convince the gentleman that they need the gloves more than him. There is a certain kind of chemistry that clicks between the two of them and they pursue their conversation @ a local café called Serendipity. All through, what lands up being probably the best evening they have ever spent in their lives, they have not exchanged something as basic as names. Just a click somewhere in their minds and they were off.

As the evening draws to a close, John decides to ask Sara what her name is, a question that she keeps side stepping. She eventually succumbs and gives her phone number but as luck would have it, it gets blown away in the wind. Unwilling to give up John keeps pestering but Sara writes her name and number on the first page of a book “Love in the time of Cholera” and promises to drop it off at a 2nd hand book store before she leaves New York… oops… Sara is British – apologies for not having mentioned it. She also asks John to write down his name and number on a $5 bill and spends it. Her theory being, if either of these were to make its way back into the other person’s hands, it would mean they were meant to be.

Now John is not one to give up so easily and so they land up walking into the Waldorf Astoria and checking their luck out one last time. The idea is to get into different elevators and press a random floor of their choice. If it matches then they are meant to be. both press 23 unknown to each other. But as luck would have it, John’s elevator stops mid way to pick up a passenger… a 3 foot nothing spoilt brat with any even more spoilt father who is OK with the kid pressing all the buttons in the elevator…. Ridiculous parents I say… well does the story of John and Sara end with this spoilt brat? Unlikely right?

Movie worth a watch to find out what ensues. Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack both look good on screen. Although I always thought Kate was much taller than she looked here. Turns out she is barely 5’ 3”. Quite a surprise. That’s no reflection on her acting skills whatsoever. Cusack looks as boy next door as ever and turns out a performance that is expected of him – nice. The supporting cast if vastly non existant with the exception of John’s best friend Dean Kansky (Jeremy Piven) who drives John to go after Sara and look for her. Some really sweet moments in the movie. One of them is when John’s wife to be Halley (Bridget Moynahan) gives him his present before the wedding day. It turns out to be exactly the book that Sara had written down her name and number. Direction is average again. Nothing out of this world. All in all the movie is quite a decent watch for a Sunday afternoon cuddled in bed with your boy friend – 5 on 10.