Forces of Nature

I'm trying to get myself into a romantic comedy sort of frame of mind, so I I've been watching bits and pieces of the few I have on DVD. Mind you, I'm not looking to capture that Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks sort of vibe. I may be treading in sentimental cliché territory, but I'm hoping to do it in an unconventional sort of way - or at least in a genuine and earnest sort of way.

Then again, I could be talking out of my ass, here.

Of the movies that I've been looking at - Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Chasing Amy, high Fidelity et al - the one that actually managed to grab my attention and keep it there at 2 in the morning was Forces of Nature. Now, I've mentioned Bronwen Hughes here before, specifically when I was applauding her last effort, Stander. She has an interesting style and rhythm to her films, and up until recently, they've never been alike - at least as far as plot is concerned. Although they share a similar visual kineticism, Harriet the Spy, Forces of Nature and Stander couldn't be farther apart in concept.

Anyway, it's the middle movie that has me blabbing right now so I'm going to focus on that one before I get carried away.

If you've never seen it, Forces stars Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck in a story about two wayward travellers trying to get to Savannah, Georgia. Ben is getting married and Sandra is trying to sell a bagel shop she opened there with her husband who she now despises. All manner of things conspire to keep them from getting to their respective destinations including nature itself. Bad weather and bad luck carry these two through 48 hours of travelling and keeps them together until they can learn from each other the things they need to learn.

The great thing about this movie is that it doesn't follow the same conventions as so many other romantic comedies, and actually improves with multiple viewings. The conventions of the genre are all there but Marc Lawrence's script is telling a different kind of story. These characters are doing a little less of the falling for each other and a little more of the searching for answers to their own life problems. Along the way, they share some moments, kind of fall for each other and discover truths about themselves they never knew. Marry that to a very strong visual design and wonderful use of special effects - showing the beautiful side of the bad weather - and you have something special.

I should also say that in careers boasting movies like Armageddon and Speed 2: Cruise Control, Ben and Sandra give two of their best performances here. They are charming, funny, lost, scared and very real. I liked that about it.

Having watched the movie again and enjoying it as much as I did I thought I would give it a shout out on the Blog. Any excuse to post something, right?

Anyway, give it a try if you never have or passed it up because you thought it was going to be crap. You just might like it as much as I do.

mike