Customer Reviews

Happy Accidents [VHS]

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I was definitely in the mood for an uplifting, life affirming movie and so, by way of recommendations from friends, I went to see "Happy Accidents." The first thing that struck me about half way though this movie was that I was smiling...a lot. But I tend to do that when Marisa Tomei is around. Is there any other actress currently performing that is so emotionally open and accessible? So what was it? Was it the fact that the script was a Hoot? ("He could tell the photograph was of people from New York since they were all wearing black and holding apple martinis.") Could it be Vincent D'Onofrio's oddball performance as a man "from the future?" Maybe, but D'Onofrio has made a career of such parts and for once his physical ticks and shtick work for him instead of against. Could it be that Brad Anderson's direction held the fine line between farce and drama as tight as a drum? Well, of course it was all of these things. Anderson is now a talent to be reckoned with as evidenced here and in the deadly serious, scary, other-worldy "Session 9." On the surface these 2 movies would seem to have nothing in common. But on closer inspection it can be noted that they share a profound and heartfelt love of the creeps and geeks of the world as well as a like love for the unexplainable and unpenetrable. "Happy Accidents" is basically about the redemptive and cleansing qualities of love. And boy....we need a lot of that stuff these days.

It is hard to find truly watchable and engaging movies that both men and women will love. But this one is just that... science fiction and romance blended into a charming movie that deserves far more attention than it has been getting, since it is superior to most of the "blockbusters" that fill the movie screens these days. SOmehow this one came out and never really seemed to hit big. Now it is available on video and I urge you to grab a copy before it fades away again.
Marisa Tomei may have found the role of her life playing Ruby, a woman who's had more than her share of failed romances. Vincent D'Onofrio is perfect as the lowkey Sam, a guy who is quirky and a bit different from the average man... but for good reason, as he may (or may not) be traveling back in time, coming from 400 years in the future.
If all this seems a bit farfetched, let me add that my husband and I are NOT huge fans of "science fiction" type movies - and yet we couldn't take our eyes off the screen. Not only that, but we were charmed and touched by this movie. It is funny, romantic and quite believable. I give credit to Tomei and D'Onofrio for pulling it off.

I'm not a Maria Tomei fan. But here's a film that not only makes her look truly lovely, it gives her an opportunity to shine. It also has Tovah Feldshuh (who in the past has regularly played a deeply annoying attorney on Law & Order) giving a fine, controlled performance as Tomei's mother. The movie, of course, is D'Onofrio's. His character is just so unpredictable (light years beyond his over-the-top, yet immensely watchable geekiness on L & O Criminal Intent) in every way, that without any evident effort he makes the movie entirely his own. Is he a time-traveler, or is he just charmingly nuts? There are hilarious moments, warm and touching moments, confusing moments--all leading to a hugely gratifying conclusion. The editing is tight as a tick, the performances are all spot-on, and New York actually looks like a place where you might want to live (as long as you don't mind relaxing in a state of danger). Catch this one!
Highly recommended.

I'm a Marisa Tomei fan, so I was inclined to like this movie, but I was unprepared for its inventiveness and clever scripting. Ms. Tomei's performance was nuanced and engaging as was Vincent D'Onofrio's. This is essentially a two character play, and without their ability to make us believe in what we're seeing, the whole movie would dissolve into drivel. While that might be true of almost any movie, this one in particular has a plot that's a bit far fetched, so credibility is central to enjoying and appreciating this film.

I promise you, unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool meanie, you'll just love this story and the two performances that deliver it. This is really an undiscovered gem of a movie.

Highly recommended.

I thought "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve was the best time travel romance ever filmed until I saw this one. In that movie, we knew from the beginning that he was from the future because we got to see him hypnotize himself and make the trip.

Here we have only the word of Vincent D'Onofrio, who may be a delusional epileptic or a man of his word....P>Marisa Tomei pulls off one of her best roles as a codependent person in therapy who puts her love and trust into people before she gets to know them. She lets D'Onofrio move in after a week and deals with the consequences later. The story unfolds as she relates it to her best friend and also her therapist. The two women give her completely different advice, and we never know for sure how she will react. The onscreen chemistry between the leads is very magnetic. As we slip into the story, we tend to forget the two are acting.

Anthony Michael Hall factors into the story in an amusing way, and he has a cameo towards the end.

Brad Anderson's direction here is superb, transcending his work with "Next Stop Wonderland" and "Session 9" His range as a filmmaker is wide. "Session 9," which is about a group of asbestos removers who unravel as they work in the creepy confines of an old insane asylum, is a gripping portrayal of what happens as paranoia sets into the minds of a group of men who once trusted each other. Watch it, it stars David Caruso in his best performance since "NYPD Blue." As for film content, the two are not even similar.

Anderson stops a scene and turns it into a photograph as the characters tell their stories, and the montages and collages of imagery make you pause and absorb everything that is going on. The scenes where D'Onofrio's eyes glaze over and he watches time go backwards are unique and sometimes moving. This is a film that puts a wholly original twist on two themes we've seen many times before. We have never seen them pulled off like this. This is a movie anyone can enjoy, and the ending is one of the most emotionally powerful finales I have seen in a long time. This deserves repeat viewings. This is one of the films that you make everyone you know sit down and watch.

it was a tuesday night, and iheard "happy accidents , was only going to show for three more nights, then Harry Potter would wipe it out, I ran to the theatre to see my favorite actor Vincent Donofrio, in a movie about time travel, my favorite subject, how could i miss... One other gentleman was in the theatre, we laughed out loud. talked to the screen and enjoyed ever silly moment of this feel good movie,, after wards the stranger in the thearte said how did u like that I just grinned from ear to ear and said I'll be back tomorrow, Icame just for vincent D, the stranger said, I just laughed thinking only the two of us got to see this brilliant funny sweet movie,,,, 4 thumbs up from two strangers in a theatre,,,, hope the world finds out about the movie soon , hope this helps..

It was also a happy accident that I saw this movie. In fact, I checked it out from the library as a last resort for entertainment that evening. To my surprise, I found it completely enthralling, immensely entertaining and totally unforgettable---to use up all of the movie reviewers' generic phrases. But I mean them all. It's also hysterically funny in places that you don't expect it to be.
This is the first time I have ever been inspired to write a review for amazon at all. Definitely watch this movie--you won't be disappointed!

This is a beautiful story and completly unexpected. I had no idea from the opening couple of minutes that this movie would turn out to be so wonderful. It left a real impact on me, one of those movies that makes you think about life and feel good about everything. Do not miss this movie. The acting was great, the story was fantastic, lots of familiar faces to add a real legitimacy to it. Unbelievable in every way. I can say without hesitation this is THE best movie I have seen in years.

At the time that I discovered this gem of a movie in my local video store I had actually never even heard of it. Now being a Vincent D'Onofrio fan I figured that at the very least I would enjoy watching him on screen (well, on my television) even if the film didn't turn out to be that great. And with Marisa Tomei as the other lead I thought, how bad can it be? It had a couple of positive reviews on the cover as well as a basic idea about the plot. Other than that I knew nothing about "Happy Accidents" until I sat down to watch it for the first time.

In a nutshell, and without giving too much away, I guess I would have to describe this movie as a very quirky and unusual love story. Marisa plays the part of Ruby, a young woman with a history of being attracted to men with lots of problems (mostly psychological problems). We get the idea from very early on that Ruby has had more than her fair share of past boyfriends with these so-called problems, as we see her and her two close girlfriends maintaining and updating a shoebox full of past relationship photos. Ruby just wants to meet the right guy. Is that really asking for too much? So she continues to try and try and try.

O.K., so in comes Vincent's character Sam, a sweet and sensitive young man who seems to be instantly drawn towards Ruby from the first time they meet. Before long they are falling in love and Sam has moved into Ruby's apartment. They're very cute together - a real chemistry. Initially, and probably because of Ruby's past history with so many strange men, she becomes a bit suspicious about some of Sam's quirks. Almost like a child who is just discovering the world for the first time, Sam seems to be curious and fascinated with almost everything. His wide-eyed amazement over every day things that most people take for granted is unusual, I suppose, but other than that he just seems to be a really sweet guy who is just a bit different. As Ruby begins to notice more and more of these quirks though she becomes a bit more suspicious. We see her consulting with her best friend as well as her therapist on a regular basis, but nothing seems to be too strange so she happily continues her relationship with her new live-in boyfriend.

So what about this relationship is so quirky? Is it the fact that Sam is always so evasive whenever Ruby asks him about his life, his family, his past, etc? Or is it the fact that there seems to be so much discrepancy in what he tells her versus what she discovers? Sam tells Ruby for example that he doesn't keep photos of his family because he doesn't like to live in the past. At first that seems to suffice until Ruby discovers family photos in Sam's wallet. Then there is the discovery of Sam's sea sickness pills, the glassy-eyed staring spells that overcome him from time to time and his obsessive drawings of someone named Chrystie Delancey. Eventually Ruby demands an explanation for what she refers to as Sam's idiosyncrasies and Sam reluctantly tells her that he is a back traveller from the year 2470.

So is Sam just someone who tells ridiculous stories in an attempt to impress or amuse his girlfriend? Is he just trying to maintain a sort of mystique about himself? Or, is Sam actually crazy? The only other option would be that Sam is telling the truth about being from the future. So what should Ruby believe? These are the questions that she finds herself facing as she struggles to either maintain or end her relationship with Sam. The challenge for the viewer of this unusual film is to decide for herself or himself what the real story behind Sam's story is. You wont find any spoilers in this review though. You have to decide for yourself.

I would highly recommend "Happy Accidents" for anyone who is looking for a very unusual love story. There are moments of drama, moments of comedy and an ongoing mystery that may still puzzle you even after the film ends. If you still aren't able to figure out what the deal with Sam really is you can always check out the DVD's audio commentary. Before returning this movie to the store I watched it a 2nd time. Then I decided to buy a copy and I never seem to grow tired of watching it. If you're a fan of Vincent or Marisa (or both) then you'll probably love this film. But even if you aren't a huge Vincent/Marisa fan you'll probably still love it. Its just a great film and one I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun, quirky, and very unusual love story.

"Happy Accidents" is a film that creates a delicate balance between one of two alternative explanations for the character of Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio). He has turned what appears to be a chance encounter with Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei) into a relationship. Sam says he comes from Dubuque, Iowa, and he sticks to that claim throughout the movie, except eventually he reveals that the Dubuque he is from is a coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean because of a couple of ice ages in between now and 2436, which is when Sam traveled back in time. Now, of course, this guy is crazy. But Sam is as charming as he is crazy, in a quirky sort of way, and every time Ruby is read to cut bait and run, he finds a way of pulling her back in to his bizarre version of the truth.

Most of the story is told in flashback as Ruby describes this strange relationship to her therapist (Holland Taylor), who can tell her exactly what is wrong with Sam. Clearly a crisis point has been reached and a final, fateful decision needs to be made. Ruby does not need her therapist to remind her that she has a history of being an enabler. After all, her mother, Lillian (Tovah Feldshuh) was a co-dependent who endured a marriage to an alcoholic for years before finding the strength to make him go sober, so there is a clearly a pattern to break here. Then there is Ruby's best friend, Gretchen (Nadia Dajani), who dismisses Sam's actions as just a "game" no different from her boyfriend pretending to be someone else in the bedroom.

Clearly there are pressures pulling Ruby is different directions, but the strongest of those come from Sam himself as he offers explanations for what the future is like and the rules for time travel every time Ruby pokes a hole in his story. Supposedly Sam had a sister who drowned and no photographs of her; but there is a photograph of a young girl and a dog in Sam's wallet. Then there is Sam's notebook with the name of another woman written prominently in it several times. But Sam offers an incredibly romantic explanation for why he has come back in time and an explanation of the principle of time travel that he demonstrates on Ruby's leg that is quite compelling.

"Happy Accidents" works so well because of the believability of D'Onofrio and Tomei. His quirkiness bothered me, but despite that I find myself liking the guy; which is exactly the point. Tomei's character is caught in a web of conflicting thoughts and desires and every time the pendulum swings the arc is getting bigger and bigger. But every single time we make up our mind as to what is really going on, another substantive seed of doubt is thrown into the mix. The credit for this goes to writer-director Brad Anderson ("Next Stop, Wonderland") who constructs the story so that Sam keeps getting the benefit of the doubt. Eventually we get to the point where we want to believe, even if it is not true. Sam makes us want to believe even when logic and the holes in his story tells us that we should not.

Ultimately the mixture of romantic comedy and science fiction, or at least pseudo-science fiction, may or may not appeal to some viewers, but it does provide pretty good prospects for a date flick. But I think there will be others who were surprised to find out how much they liked this movie about the power of love. That might all be changed by the way this one plays out in the end and I can easily see three or four places where you might decide that "Happy Accidents" jumps the track and the magic ends for you. The ending was not totally satisfying to me, but parts of if were and whatever problems the end game might have do not detract away from the stellar performances of D'Onofrio and Tomei.