Happy Accidents - TNL Movie Club Season 2

[Regus]

Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei) is weary of her long history of failed relationships with men when she meets Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio) in a park. But after the two fall in love, Ruby becomes suspicious of Sam's past and under pressure from her, he finally explains that he is really from the year 2470 (what he calls a "back traveler").Ruby initially passes this story off as yet another case of male nerdy weirdness, but after Sam's constant persistence and growing agitation, she begins to wonder and finally takes him to see her therapist (Holland Taylor).

The balancing act engineered by writer/director/editor Brad Anderson throughout the movie keeps both Ruby and the audience guessing as to whether Sam is telling the truth or delusional and perhaps even becoming dangerous when he reveals that everything he has done is a deliberate attempt to change her life. The film's resolution is surprising while remaining consistent with the movie as a whole.

Do not be fooled by the sappy, melodramatic dvd cover art, this is not some average run of the mill romantic comedy. This is a film that works on two levels: at first it's a scifi story, but it is also a story about a woman who is in a relationship with a man who has issues.

The real beauty of this movie is how they constantly keep you guessing whether or not Vincent D'Onofrio's character is indeed a time traveler.

This little movie is a completely overlooked gem, one that I might have never seen had I not randomly decided to flip through the channels one day (a happy accident indeed).

I believe this movie is exactly the sort of film the TNL Movie Club was created to promote.

• IMDB
• Amazon.com
• Watch Ebert & Roeper's review.

[Gooch]

Me and a ladyfriend watched this once and I admit it was entertaining. The whole time travel analogy using the bended knee was kinda cool. It got the job done.

[animegirl]

Sounds interested, I just added it to my Netflix.

[Frogacuda]

Got it in the queue. Noticed it's the same director as The Machinist, and that was pretty rad.