Product Details

• Actors: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven, Bridget Moynahan, Eugene Levy
• Directors: Peter Chelsom
• Writers: Marc Klein
• Producers: Amy J. Kaufman, Amy Slotnick, Andrew Panay, Bob Osher, Julie Goldstein
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Miramax
• VHS Release Date: September 3, 2002
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (251 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000068MFS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,890 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The irresistible casting of John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale highlights this predictable romantic comedy, which combines the romantic yearning of An Affair to Remember and the New York charm of You've Got Mail. It all begins "a few years ago," when New Yorker Jonathan (Cusack) meets Brit beauty Sara (Beckinsale). They share a few perfect hours together before parting ways, leaving future encounters to her quirky obsession with fate. "A few years later," they're about to marry their respective fiancés (reluctantly, of course), and urgently hoping for destiny to bring them back together. Under the casual direction of Peter Chelsom (barely recovering from Town & Country), this starry-eyed romance offers no surprises, but it has a comforting familiarity, made warmer by the easy chemistry of the leads, with obligatory best-friend support by Molly Shannon and long-time Cusack pal Jeremy Piven. It's hokey, but die-hard romantics are sure to be forgiving. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

Two consenting New York adults meet at Bloomingdale's during the Christmas season. He (John Cusack) takes Her (Kate Beckinsale) to Wollman Rink and proceeds to draw on her forearm with a pen, connecting her freckles to form the constellation Cassiopeia. She, wisely, proposes that they let fate decide whether or not they should be together. Cusack does his familiar woe-is-me loverboy shtick, and Beckinsale is full of charm and crispy vowels, but the real sparks are in the supporting performances, especially that of John Corbett as a musician boyfriend who's an unholy union of Kenny G and Yanni. -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serendipity, April 1, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Serendipity (DVD)

I am not sure how much I believe in serendipity - good fortune discovered by accident also known as fate, but this movie could make a believer out of me. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale are wonderful together as soul mates that overcome every obstacle to be together! They are successful because it was meant to be. If you can't suspend reality, and just go with the flow, then this movie probably isn't for you. It is meant for those that can have faith.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chance or destiny?, May 17, 2003

By 

D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Serendipity (DVD)

Do you believe in love? Fate? That everything happens for a reason? Astrology? Premonitions? Near misses of should-of-beens? Well, neither do I. However, this film is full of ALL of these things and come to find out the story is delightful!

John Cusack is a way-cool actor. He always plays the type of guy you want to root for to prevail in some off-the-wall struggle. Kate Beckinsale is nothing short of gorgeous and her British accent is a charming ingredient of this comical look at a love-story-gone-awry.

Cuscack & Beckinsale play a couple of New Yorkers who "accidently" meet up one night. Turns out, they REALLY hit it off. Due to a sequence of unlikely events, they are separated and go their separate ways.

A few years later both are supposed to be married - almost on the same day. Only problem is (you guessed it) by now they're supposed to marry different people. At the eleventh hour both start having second thoughts and begin having reveries about their one enchanting evening together.

The balance of the story traces their attempts to get back in touch with each other while their friends believe they've gone looney. The result is what is quite possibly the funnest & sweetest Romantic Comedy since WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING.

If you have a date tonight, I would SERIOUSLY recommend this film. If you don't have a date tonight, find one & then watch it together. As a last resort, watch it by yourself. Remember: everything happens for a reason! OK, OK, maybe it doesn't - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy this DVD!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, cool romantic comedy that delights at every turn, October 19, 2005

By 

Nicholas Carroll (Portland OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Serendipity (DVD)

I watched this film again after seeing it in theaters several years ago, and I had forgotten how cool it was. I remember overhearing a lady in the row in front of me groaning and complaining at every seemingly contrived moment of serendipity that befalls the "soul mates" played wonderfully by John Cusack and the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale, whom I could stare at forever as well as listen to her speak without ever growing tired of it. Anyhow, I guess I understood the lady's skepticism...this movie does appear to be so outlandishly contrived that it strains credibility. Yet, what appealed to me about this movie is that I had similar moments of serendipity/coincidences with a girl I dated in 2000. Seeing this film brings back my own memories...so trust me when I say that the things in this movie can happen to people. I'm one of those people.

Romantic comedies have the poor habit of following the standard, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl reconcile, and all is happily ever after. This doesn't wander too far from that formula, but its so downright clever, watchable, and enjoyable that you can't help but fall in love with the story and characters. Romantic comedies also tend to feature interesting selections of music, and this one is no different. I actually enjoyed the song selections in this film and not one of them was familiar to me (using oldies that have appeared in countless other films). I especially got a kick out of Lars, the Yanni-esque boyfriend of Sara (Beckinsale). His new age music is poked fun at by Sara and her sidekick friend (played to comedic effect by an SNL-alum), but I actually thought that was cool about him. Eugene Levy also has a couple scene-stealing moments with his usual brand of comedic seriousness and Jeremy Piven plays the sidekick role he often plays in films.

This film throws every obstacle to keep the two apart and its an amusing development to watch. Overall though, you know the two are destined to be together and its just as well. So, for all the skeptics out there who find this film outlandishly contrived, please suspend your disbelief and realize that such romantic possibilities and coincidences are possible. I experienced it myself a few years ago, so that's why I find this film to be quite credible, not to mention funny and entertaining in its own right.