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Serendipity
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG-13 // April 9, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Director Peter Chelsom has a good track record, including "The Mighty". It was a couple of years ago that he started in on "Town and Country", a large comedy with Warren Beatty and a major cast of A-listers; a simple project spiraled out of control and eventually became an 80-million (more, according to some) failure. It's understandable that he would want a lighter, smaller film for his next effort and thankfully, "Serendipity" is a fun, somewhat original romantic comedy. It's certainly not outstanding, but it's nice, well-crafted and expertly acted.
Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) Meet Cute over shopping for gloves during Christmas. They find the same pair, but after a fun little arguement, he lets her have them. The two have a nice little evening together that doesn't seem it'll go anywhere - there's certainly an attraction, but they both have significant others. She's into fate and believes that if they're meant to see each other, they will. Later that night, they do and spend a lovely couple of hours together. Again, fate steps into play and they both put their names and numbers on objects (his on a $5 bill, hers in a used book) that go out into the world. Someday they will find them if its meant to be.
I must say, I was a little irritated when these two separated. If anything, it's because the original meeting between the two is done too well. Cusack and Beckinsale have wonderful chemistry together and the scenes boast absolutely lovely cinematography by John de Borman ("Hideous Kinky", "Saving Grace").
But, the film had started off on the right foot and I was willing to go along with it. We're shown several years later, where both are getting married (to their significant others), but remembering each other. Although marriage is closing in, they decide to engage in a cross-country search for one another. This kind of film would usually have the two constantly missing each other in their journey, but what makes this film entertaining and different is that the chase that Cusack/Piven and Beckinsale/Shannon engage in doesn't start with the near-misses until later in the movie (there is a point where I was hoping the inevitable would happen, but at 91 minutes, the movie doesn't wear out its welcome) and the chase that the two pairs engage in is often very funny.
Why this film works as well as it does is mainly because of the actors. The whole romance left upto fate thing is a bit (ok, a lot) ridiculous, but Cusack and Beckinsale manage to make these early scenes work. The leads are occasionally upstaged though by their second-in-commands. Longtime Cusack friend Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon play the best friends and they energetically and successfully mine all the humor out of the material. Eugene Levy also adds a brilliantly funny little performance as a department store worker. I also liked the fact that the significant others (John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan) that the Beckinsale and Cusack characters were getting married to weren't presented as complete idiots or jerks to make it all the more obvious that the original two should be together, as is what usually happens in films like this one.
"Serendipity" doesn't really bring that much to the romantic comedy table, but I found it to be a witty and fun romance that was livened considerably by superb performances and a solid screenplay. I smiled throughout.
The DVD
VIDEO: Miramax presents "Serendipity" in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Again, De Borman's cinematography and the locations are quite beautiful - thankfully, they are well-presented by this attractive transfer. Sharpness and detail are excellent; the picture appears smooth and crisp with the exception of some instances of softness in a couple of interior scenes.
Flaws were pretty minor throughout the picture. Some slight grain was seen on occasion, but its appearance remained rare and not very noticable. No edge enhancement was seen, nor was any pixelation. Print flaws infrequently appeared, but the few specks that popped up weren't much of an issue, either.
Colors looked excellent throughout, appearing well-saturated and vibrant, with no smearing. Black level remained solid and flesh-tones looked accurate and natural.
SOUND: "Serendipity" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 by Miramax. As with most romantic comedies, the film maintains a very forward-heavy presence with the sound. What little surround use there is during the picture is essentially slight reinforcement of the music or minor effects. Sound quality remained pleasing and satisfactory, as the music sounded crisp and clear, as did dialogue.
MENUS: The menus contain pleasant, light film-themed animation.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Peter Chelsom. The director provides a light, interesting track that is generally a good mixture of production details, working with the cast and character details. As the director states early in the track, there weren't any major problems with the movie, so there's really no major crises to discuss. Even so, I still found this to be a very enjoyable track.
Deleted Scenes: 9 deleted scenes are included here along with optional commentary from director Chelsom. The commentary provides very good insight as to why the scenes were deleted, but it's kind of odd that, to be able to listen to the commentary, one must go to the bottom of the second "deleted scenes" menu to select that option. The first scene included is the original Bloomingdale's opening, which is a different than the one included in the movie. This original one works fairly well and makes for interesting viewing, but isn't as good as the reshoot. The other scenes aren't bad either - while I think they wouldn't have worked in the picture, they're worth watching.
Peter Chelsom's On-Set Diary: This is a set of text/photo pages that make up the director's diary from the production. The various writings about the events that happened on-set are a very entertaining read. My only suggestion would have been to include this as a little book in the insert instead of having to read the small type on the TV screen.
Storyboard Comparison: Storyboard/scene comparison for the "driving range" sequence late in the picture.
Also: The film's theatrical trailer, 20-minute "Starz: On The Set" promotional "making of", still gallery.
Final Thoughts: "Serendipity" is a very funny and well-acted comedy that I found highly enjoyable. Miramax's DVD offers good audio/video and some solid special features. Highly recommended.
Director Peter Chelsom has a good track record, including "The Mighty". It was a couple of years ago that he started in on "Town and Country", a large comedy with Warren Beatty and a major cast of A-listers; a simple project spiraled out of control and eventually became an 80-million (more, according to some) failure. It's understandable that he would want a lighter, smaller film for his next effort and thankfully, "Serendipity" is a fun, somewhat original romantic comedy. It's certainly not outstanding, but it's nice, well-crafted and expertly acted.
Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) Meet Cute over shopping for gloves during Christmas. They find the same pair, but after a fun little arguement, he lets her have them. The two have a nice little evening together that doesn't seem it'll go anywhere - there's certainly an attraction, but they both have significant others. She's into fate and believes that if they're meant to see each other, they will. Later that night, they do and spend a lovely couple of hours together. Again, fate steps into play and they both put their names and numbers on objects (his on a $5 bill, hers in a used book) that go out into the world. Someday they will find them if its meant to be.
I must say, I was a little irritated when these two separated. If anything, it's because the original meeting between the two is done too well. Cusack and Beckinsale have wonderful chemistry together and the scenes boast absolutely lovely cinematography by John de Borman ("Hideous Kinky", "Saving Grace").
But, the film had started off on the right foot and I was willing to go along with it. We're shown several years later, where both are getting married (to their significant others), but remembering each other. Although marriage is closing in, they decide to engage in a cross-country search for one another. This kind of film would usually have the two constantly missing each other in their journey, but what makes this film entertaining and different is that the chase that Cusack/Piven and Beckinsale/Shannon engage in doesn't start with the near-misses until later in the movie (there is a point where I was hoping the inevitable would happen, but at 91 minutes, the movie doesn't wear out its welcome) and the chase that the two pairs engage in is often very funny.
Why this film works as well as it does is mainly because of the actors. The whole romance left upto fate thing is a bit (ok, a lot) ridiculous, but Cusack and Beckinsale manage to make these early scenes work. The leads are occasionally upstaged though by their second-in-commands. Longtime Cusack friend Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon play the best friends and they energetically and successfully mine all the humor out of the material. Eugene Levy also adds a brilliantly funny little performance as a department store worker. I also liked the fact that the significant others (John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan) that the Beckinsale and Cusack characters were getting married to weren't presented as complete idiots or jerks to make it all the more obvious that the original two should be together, as is what usually happens in films like this one.
"Serendipity" doesn't really bring that much to the romantic comedy table, but I found it to be a witty and fun romance that was livened considerably by superb performances and a solid screenplay. I smiled throughout.
The DVD
VIDEO: Miramax presents "Serendipity" in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Again, De Borman's cinematography and the locations are quite beautiful - thankfully, they are well-presented by this attractive transfer. Sharpness and detail are excellent; the picture appears smooth and crisp with the exception of some instances of softness in a couple of interior scenes.
Flaws were pretty minor throughout the picture. Some slight grain was seen on occasion, but its appearance remained rare and not very noticable. No edge enhancement was seen, nor was any pixelation. Print flaws infrequently appeared, but the few specks that popped up weren't much of an issue, either.
Colors looked excellent throughout, appearing well-saturated and vibrant, with no smearing. Black level remained solid and flesh-tones looked accurate and natural.
SOUND: "Serendipity" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 by Miramax. As with most romantic comedies, the film maintains a very forward-heavy presence with the sound. What little surround use there is during the picture is essentially slight reinforcement of the music or minor effects. Sound quality remained pleasing and satisfactory, as the music sounded crisp and clear, as did dialogue.
MENUS: The menus contain pleasant, light film-themed animation.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Peter Chelsom. The director provides a light, interesting track that is generally a good mixture of production details, working with the cast and character details. As the director states early in the track, there weren't any major problems with the movie, so there's really no major crises to discuss. Even so, I still found this to be a very enjoyable track.
Deleted Scenes: 9 deleted scenes are included here along with optional commentary from director Chelsom. The commentary provides very good insight as to why the scenes were deleted, but it's kind of odd that, to be able to listen to the commentary, one must go to the bottom of the second "deleted scenes" menu to select that option. The first scene included is the original Bloomingdale's opening, which is a different than the one included in the movie. This original one works fairly well and makes for interesting viewing, but isn't as good as the reshoot. The other scenes aren't bad either - while I think they wouldn't have worked in the picture, they're worth watching.
Peter Chelsom's On-Set Diary: This is a set of text/photo pages that make up the director's diary from the production. The various writings about the events that happened on-set are a very entertaining read. My only suggestion would have been to include this as a little book in the insert instead of having to read the small type on the TV screen.
Storyboard Comparison: Storyboard/scene comparison for the "driving range" sequence late in the picture.
Also: The film's theatrical trailer, 20-minute "Starz: On The Set" promotional "making of", still gallery.
Final Thoughts: "Serendipity" is a very funny and well-acted comedy that I found highly enjoyable. Miramax's DVD offers good audio/video and some solid special features. Highly recommended.
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