BOUNCE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: brief sexual content, strong abuse of deity, profanity

Rated:

Since Gwyneth Paltrow's award winning success with Shakespeare in Love, she has turned to romantic comedy. Or so it claims to be. What romance there is in Bounce, comedy is scant. Paired up with another Oscar winner and former boyfriend (Ben Affleck), this drama is a mixture of familiarity and sentiment with a touch of charisma on the side. There is something about the film that gives it merit and acceptability and rises it to a position formerly held by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail, despite the picture's glaring flaws. I was profoundly moved by the film, and it's become a guilty pleasure.

Stranded in the airport one snowy Christmas week after the closure of the biggest business deal of his career, Buddy Amaral (Ben Affleck) shares a table in the airport bar with two strangers... a charming businesswoman named Mimi (Natasha Henstridge) and Greg Jaanello (Tony Goldwyn), a failing scriptwriter whose play on Broadway has just closed in disappointment. Greg is eager to return to his family for the holidays but has been bumped from the next flight due to the holiday overload of passengers. Buddy generously offers him his first-class ticket, insisting that he should go home to Abby and the kids. His sacrifice is not that humbling, as his intentions are to stay the night with Mimi in Chicago. 

A moment of mutual benefit turns into a life altering story of tragedy when the plane goes down somewhere over Kansas, and the 210 passengers on board are killed instantly. Greg's wife Abbey (Gwyneth Paltrow) can't understand why her husband was on that plane. Buddy fights inner-blame for his newfound friend's death but refuses to take any responsibility for his mistake. Turning to alcohol, his decline places his career in jeopardy and his partner forces him into rehab. A year later, Buddy realizes that the only way he can clear his conscience is to approach Greg's widow and see that she is well cared for. Easier said than done!

When the two meet, he is unprepared for her childlike charm and enthusiasm. Guilt-ridden about his past, he keeps the truth from Abby and tries to avoid her like the black plague, but the young widow seems determined to break down his outer shell and make him vulnerable. She's funny, she's compassionate, and he's falling in love with her. This introduces one of the film's best and yet most overlooked scenes when the two share dinner, and Abby does a favor for a stranger. The woman never even knows... but Abby is just happy to have helped. When Buddy's interest begins to take a more personal turn, he begins a new chapter of his life that could end in heartbreak. 

The film's premise is a good one -- taking responsibility for your actions, wagering carefully the choices you make in your life, and keeping truth present in any relationship. Abby deals with personal issues herself. 'You know what I thought about the night after he left?' she tells her aunt in despair. 'I thought about whether or not I was glad Buddy didn't get on that plane. I feel like if I am, then in some way I'm betraying Greg.' Her feelings for her husband run deep and overflow in fond memories of a sometimes troubled but overall wonderful marriage. She handles her kids with encouragement and love but isn't above chastising them about attitude problems. Both characters question God but the overall feeling is that He does exist and sometimes bad things happen to good people.

It's the same feeling one get while watching Return to Me and awaiting the inevitable confession of inner guilt that could harm the other person. But much like the earlier film, Bounce is not without its flaws, language and sensuality being two present factors for concern. There are at least four misuses of Jesus' name, one possible "Christ," two or three of "God d-mn," and one f-word, along with a scattering of minor profanities. It's out of character and ironic that Abby would engage in a sexual relationship with Buddy after only a few weeks together, particularly due to the fact that in the scene proceeding it she is still mourning for her lost husband. Bounce's love scene involves implied nudity (nothing explicit) and tender kissing. The scene is about a minute and a half long and sours the milk for an otherwise praiseworthy film. Other cautions involve the fact that Buddy is a notorious playboy and spends the night with Mimi in her hotel room, waking up to find the news reporting on the recent plane crash. His under-assistant is also a homosexual and mentions it once or twice. Abby's shirts sometimes reveal that she's not wearing a bra. 

In conclusion, Bounce is not for everyone. The film has a good heart and good intentions but shoots itself in the foot by incorporating profane language and casual intimacy into the blend. The good is there, like a rose waiting to bloom in the brush, but the viewers must decide for themselves whether it's worth crossing the mire for.