It’s obvious Miramax Pictures will always have its ups and downs,what with a 20-year existence of both hits (“The English Patient,””Pulp Fiction”) and misses (“Down To You,” “The Very Thought ofYou”). And granted, not every movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow isexpected to be a box-office hit (see “Duets”). But with “Bounce,”which boasts of a dynamic cast of Jennifer Grey (“Dirty Dancing”),Joe Morton (“Terminator 2”) and Tony Goldwyn (“Ghost”), Miramax fallsshort of such potential.
It’s interesting enough that Paltrow stars alongside chum andex-beau Ben Affleck. Most will undoubtedly flock to the theaters justto witness how the chemistry between these actors carries over to thebig screen. That’s pretty much where “interesting” ends. The Titanictook two hours to sink. Sadly enough “Bounce” only took a few shortminutes after the opening credits.
The problem with the people behind Miramax, and with many oftoday’s filmmakers, is that they rely far too heavily on a good ideawithout really supplementing it with all the other necessities thatmake a half way decent movie: good dialogue, memorable characters andlead actors fitting of such roles. Nevermind that Affleck has verylittle knack for drama. Nevermind that Paltrow is completelyunbelievable as a suburban mother of two. The important thing is thatit looks interesting and, with the two heartthrobs on board, is boundtom have large commercial appeal, right? In this case, it proves tobe their biggest mistake.
Despite this “good idea” of having a man fall in love with thewoman whose husband dies in a plane crash after switching flightswith him, there is so much left to be desired. As a writer, Don Roos,whose “The Opposite of Sex” garnered critical acclaim and audiencepraise, breaks the big show-don’t-tell rule of thumb. With an alreadypredictable plot from the get-go and extremely underdevelopedcharacters that provide very little depth, the dramatic layers of thefilm are never found. The surface is simply scratched in every aspect(character-wise and plot-wise), with a minor trial and Affleck’salcoholism both serving as weak subplots.
Affleck plays the charming, young hot-shot ad executive BuddyAmaral, whose life takes a turn after falling in love with thewidowed Abby Janello, played by Paltrow. And though Affleck and hisgood looks make for a convincing hot-shot to Paltrow’s ratherunconvincing mother role, it is quite obvious the two are way out oftheir leagues.
It will be difficult for the younger audience to relate to thesecharacter and offensive to the older audience who can actually graspissues they attempt to tackle.
That’s not to say that Affleck should stick to what he does best(being somewhat funny and looking good while in the process) and thatPaltrow should play debutante British roles for the rest of her life.But where baby steps should normally be made at this point in theirlives, the two have decided to take a leap of faith in spreadingtheir wings. In branching out into more adult roles, they look morelike kids trying on their parents’ shoes and playing dress up thanthe mature, capable actors they will one day become. Clearly theyhave yet to gain the knowledge to portray such roles; and it is ashame and a waste that more fitting actors such as Bruce Willis,Harrison Ford or even Sela Ward weren’t considered for this film.
The only redeeming quality of “Bounce” is the character of Seth,Buddy’s sharp-tongued assistant, whose witty one-liners were the truesource of entertainment and comic relief. It’s too bad it was thetypical gay, funny sidekick role. Otherwise, the film could’ve been”Bounce and Swing.” And it would have been funny, too.
A scene between Affleck and Paltrow has her quoting her mother’sadvice: “It’s just a plane crash, Abby. You’ve gotta bounce.”
After this film, one can only hope their careers will bounce backup to par.
