SERENDIPITY
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Miramax
MSRP: $14.99, but Amazon has it listed for $9.99
Running Time: 90 mintes
What’s Going On?
On a busy Christmas evening shopping trip, Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale), two already spoken-for shoppers meet and instantly fall in love. Leaving it all up to fate, Sara leaves her contact info on a $5 dollar bill but it vanishes and they never see each other again.
Who’s In It:
John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon, John Corbin, Jeremy Piven, Bridget Moynahan and a wonderful appearance by Eugene Levy.
If You Like…:
The idea of your love life being dictated by the “signs” that the universe provides. It’s an ultra romantic idea and one that I personally kinda believe in which is why I love this movie so much. If you’re into those ideals, this is the movie for you.
Also, if you like the idea of seeing Kate Beckinsale in a film where she can be a bit funny at times instead of slaying some lycans, this is a refreshing change of pace.
Special Features:
- Feature Commentary with Director Peter Chelsom: Mostly anecdotal, nothing of real substance in this commentary.
- Behind the Scenes Starz Encore “On the Set”: Promo piece that aired on Starz when the film first came out.
- Peter Chelsom’s Production Diary: All text based, but offers more substantial information than the commentary does though.
- Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Peter Chelsom: features alternate opening and some extra scenes for some of the supporting characters, including Molly Shannon.
- Storyboard Comparison: For the scene at the driving range.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Technical Gist:
Presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, it’s not the best looking or best sounding disk, but it one that is markedly better than it was on DVD. The film always had a bit of an over saturated look, and that’s a little more prominent here.
The Verdict
This is a definite and absolute BUY IT from me, but romantic comedies aren’t for everyone. That being said, SERENDIPITY is smarter than most and the idea of paying attention to the signs that the universe is throwing at us is a very romantic gesture and one that should appeal to many rom-com fans.
