Saturday, October 1, 2016

K-PAX (2001)

Director: Iain Softley

Writers: Gene Brewer, Charles Leavitt

Composer: Ed Shearmur

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack, Alfre Woodard, David Patrick Kelly, Saul Williams, Peter Gerety, Celia Weston, Ajay Naidu, Tracy Vilar, Aaron Paul

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Is he crazy?...or is he light years ahead of us?

Plot: Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.



My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

The funny thing about having a spotty memory is being able to watch a movie after 15 years and remembering very little except for the overall feeling.  I'd forgotten most of this picture but what I remembered is not knowing if Prot (Spacey) was telling the truth about being from another planet.  The story cheats us by letting Prot giving detailed information about planets and solar systems that only 2 or 3 people on the planet are even aware of.  That alone should tell you that he's telling the truth (and that's the strongest bit of evidence that I think he is) but then there's the flipside where we find out who Prot might really be and that he's suppressing his bad memories.  That works, too.  Regardless of where you fall on the truth (the film ends leaving us the option to choose), it's a well-told story with wonderful performances and a score filled with hope and wonder.  OK, that bit about the score sounds kind of lame but it's true.  It plays a big part in letting you believe Prot's story.  It's a good film and Spacey comes across as genuine and very likable.  The Universal DVD presents the film in anamorphic widescreen with extras in an alternate ending, commentary with the director, deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons, behind the scenes photos and the theatrical trailer (non-anamorphic widescreen).

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