[click on photos Movie
| Forces of Nature is a screwball comedy
that steals elements from ‘30s road movies and romances that might’ve starred
a Hepburn or two. Don’t fault it for trying to kindle the flirtatious sparring
that separates "classic" movie romances from modern, sex-drenched capers. This
is a very old-fashioned kind of duet. Unfortunately, it forgets that these
classic romances concerned more complicated questions than who gallops off
into the sunset. They spoke about class systems (sometimes race or gender
issues) and poked fun at them through romantic incompatibilities.
"No matter what society says," these movies boast, "we’re made for each
other..." (and those outside forces are not important). Boy meets girl. Boy
looses and gets girl again. The couple has to arrive at self-knowledge. The
characters must change. The Great American Myth says we can start all over,
repent and recreate new identities for ourselves. We dream of finding
likeminds . . . when they already exist closest to us. The dream blinds us to
recognizing that reality. Such transcendental thoughts bring Emerson to mind.
You can’t know yourself without acknowledging others and the roles they play
in our lives. It’s a profound human theme . . . the value of those around us.
Forces of Nature mimics these motifs with the enthusiasm and subtlety of a
ventriloquist’s dummy. Sandra Bullock’s character is clearly modeled after
Audrey Hepburn’s free-wheeling "Holly Golightly" in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Both women have helmed flamboyant personas to protect a secret past. They
captivate a stoical, button-down businessman (in this case, Ben Affleck, whose
character is also named "Ben" lest we forget). As in Tiffany’s, Ben works
as a writer (actually, a dust-jacket blurb artist) who meets his fantasy gal
in New York. He can’t allow sparks because he’s getting hitched to a high-
society belle. Things run amuck when the unlikely pair keep colliding (as if
Cupid insists in making cinematic magic). His plane teeters off the runway.
Her car happens to be heading south. And so they hitch along for the ride (ala
It Happened One Night).
Is it cosmic intervention? "I think I’ll just sit here," Ben says, "and wait
for the locusts to come."
In less than two hours (movie screen time) they suffer a drug arrest, a holdup, a Biblical hailstorm, a gay striptease,
and a bus tour stacked with elderly couples in sombreros. In addition, they board a train going the wrong direction. The solution to this
is quite American in itself—the two go shopping (in a scene borrowed straight
from Tiffany’s famous drugstore escapade). See Ben and Sarah try on goofy
sunglasses, sprawl on plastic lawn furniture, surrounded by astro-turf. Is
this the consumer’s version of tropical paradise? When Ben and Sarah dream of
happily-ever-after, it’s K-Mart, not Cupid, that guarantees happiness.
Director Bronwen Hughes (Harriet the Spy) has difficulty timing her scenes.
One disaster after another is hurled in typical, noisy MTV fashion, never
allowing the lovebirds to strike much rapport. The result is a devastating
lack of connection (or "chemistry," as people are fond of saying). There’s a
sense of desperation on both actors’ parts. Bullock tries too hard—thumping
her chest like a caveman, snorting and braying in a most unattractive manner.
Affleck plays the straightman, either rolling his eyes or aiming them in her
direction. If not for multiple close-ups of his "lovestruck" mug, we wouldn’t
sense anything but irritation.
Romances of recent years are preoccupied with playing shrink. It’s not enough
that two people like each other. They must labor over why those feelings
exist and what brought them to this stage in their lives. Bullock is bogged down
with ex-husbands and a kid she hasn’t seen in ages. Is this the stuff of
comedy or talk shows? These days, there’s little difference between the two.
While classic films celebrated independence in a most modern manner, Forces
of Nature is intent on keeping promises and making the "right" decision, no
matter the circumstance. In the end, there’s a feeling of emptiness. The story
didn’t change but the characters should.
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