Paul J. Nemecek A man on his way to his wedding is derailed by unforeseen circumstances. This is hardly a new premise in film. One of the early versions of this basic theme was Frank Capra's It Happened One Night which won the Oscar for best picture in 1934. Critic Owen Gleiberman has described Force of Nature as a cross between It Happened One Night and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. This description is not far from the mark.Ben Affleck plays Ben Holmes, "a jacket-copy writer" on his way to Savannah for his wedding. His plane is involved in a runway accident so he ends up joining forces with a stranger named Sarah (Sandra Bullock) who also needs to get to Savannah. Along the way they recognize their mutual attraction, and all of the pieces are in place for a pretty standard screwball comedy.Affleck and Bullock are well cast in their respective parts, and it is refreshing to see them in roles that give them both a little more room to move. Affleck is still hot from his success in Good Will Hunting and Armageddon. Bullock's recent past has been a bit spotty including mixed reviews for Hope Floats and unanimous slams for Speed 2. In the right roles, these are actors that are fun too watch. They carry their parts well here, but unfortunately the parts aren't much worth carrying. There are a few golden moments here, but there's even more mindless fluff.There are also a few too many scenes that are designed to add some sex appeal, but do little to advance the story line (e.g., a bachelor party and a scene in a gay bar). This is a shame, because there are some worthwhile insights about love, fear, and grace buried in the clutter of this film. The visuals in the film provide some special moments too, but the end result is a film that is very uneven and ultimately flawed.The two questions I ask when I evaluate a film are: "is it a story worth telling?", and "is it a story well told?". This film comes close on both counts, but ultimately fails the test. When I was trying to decide which film to review this weekend, I was debating between this film and Clint Eastwood in True Crime. I still haven't seen the Eastwood flick, but if you find yourself faced with the same two options, my advice would be to give Clint a shot-go ahead, make his day.

Robert J. Maxwell The story of the mismatched couple who are forced to make a trip together and who gradually come to control their animadversions is a familiar one. Usually, not always, it's a man and woman. Frequently, one is stodgy and the other reckless.I mention, only in passing, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, "Something Wild," "The Palm Beach Story," "It Happened One Night," and all the "Road To --" movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Maybe if we could suddenly discover all of Aristophanes' missing plays there'd be one about a mismatched couple trying to find their way to Cloud Cuckoo Land.So, is it possible to breathe ANY fresh life into this near-cadaver, shuddering, Cheyne-Stokes breathing setting in, boxcars ready to form, ready to be transfigured? Yes. "Forces of Nature" does a pretty good job of resuscitation. There are moments that are forced and silly -- jumping into a pool, standing on the roof of a passenger train and shouting life-accepting exclamations -- but for the most part it's funny.The stodgy character who is afraid of flying, of water, and of disrupting his wedding plans, is Ben Affleck. The liberating life force is Sandra Bullock. Each plays off the other and the supporting cast is unimpeachable. Maura Tierney as the impatient and ever more frightened bride-to-be is outstanding. The role combines comedy and pathos. Blythe Danner, Gwynneth Paltrow's mother, is 58 years old and delicious.It's competently directed by Bronwyn Hughes and the script by Marc Lawrence shows some keen wit. It may not end the way you think.

slightlymad22 Plot In A Paragraph: Ben Holmes (Ben Affleck) a professional book-jacket blurbologist, is trying to get to Savannah for his wedding. He just barely catches the last plane, but a seagull flies into the engine as the plane is taking off. So he is forced to hitch a ride with an attractive but eccentric woman named Sara (Sandra Bullock) Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock make an attractive romantic pairing, and have a certain amount of chemistry. Michael Fairrman Bridget Thurman, Moira Tierney, Steve Zahn, Ronny Cox and Richard Schiff are all good in supporting roles. The plot moves a long at a good pace, their are a few laughs to be had and the ending is a surprise too.I don't understand the hate that Affleck gets, as I usually enjoy his movies that vary in tone, style and subject matter drastically 'Company Men' or 'Armageddon' 'Argo' and 'Hollywoodland' or the (what I consider the under rated 'Jersey Girl' I enjoy him in all of them. As for Bullock, she remains one of the most talented and beautiful women in movies, and her ladylike sexiness is in rare supply. Any movie becomes promising just by having her name in it's cast.

Rozinda Plenty of spoilers, be warned! But I was really annoyed with this movie. that said, Sandra Bullock was as always splendid. But ultimately, wasted.I give this 4 stars solely for Bullock's fine acting as always. She's always worth watching, but pity about the script and the lead male actor.Well I don't have to "like" the sickeningly annoying ending just because some think it's "brave" etc. Of course it depends what you like and when I read an ending is "brave" I immediately suspect that means I won't like it at all. And I didn't. On the other hand...... someone else may feel it was the right ending. After all the guy was supposed to be getting married, and after behaving like a jerk, he finally does.Once you see the ending, you realise what an annoying twerp the hero Affleck plays actually is. My extreme disappointment turned to "Serves the pair of them right, him and his wife-to-be right, she'll regret that marriage." Fortunately I didn't much like the fiancée and I didn't think much of the hero either. He definitely led Bullock's character on, he was weak, and you can see this recurring later in his life with other women, especially if they are predatory which Bullock's character is not. She was far better without him so in that respect the ending is the right one, but the way it's achieved, and Bullock's resigned acceptance, these are so annoying.I imagine the "point" of the story was that the hero would waver but end up still true to his girl. This could have worked if he and his girl had been interesting and moving characters and Bullock had lost patience with him and told him to do the right thing and go back to her. But no, Bullock's character had to be humiliated.So I felt very let down because Bullock was led on by this guy and then he changed his mind and dumped her and she grieves over this jerk. One can imagine him doing the same to his wife in some later year and assuring himself it's not his fault.... I see a weak-minded serial adulterer there. Which is partly due to the actor's portrayal of the character, of course. It could have been so different if the actor had been better at his job.So as in some others of Bullock's movies, the leading male actor is a disappointment and the story isn't as good as it could have been. This could still have ended as it did without leaving a very sour taste in the mouth or having to call the ending "brave" to perhaps avoid having to say "urk".