Bounce
by Wayne Case
An enjoyable and inspirational story of chance romance.
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While I suspect that some people aren't going to like Bounce, I was quite entertained. It is romantic, and contains a lot of dialogue; not one gun shows up, and there are no car chases. These factors alone insure that a large part of the regular movie going audience will have no interest. Reaction to this film will also depend on your feelings about the lead actors, Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow, since they are on screen for the most of the 102-minute running time. I do like both of them. They have terrific on-screen chemistry, and I wouldn't be surprised if their highly publicized off-screen relationship happens to be similar to what we see on the screen.
For a change, the advertising materials are both effective and attractive, plus they aren't misleading. Both the trailer and the posters are all about Ben and Gwyn, and so is the film. As usual, the trailer does tell more than I would have wanted to know, but I reluctantly admit that this may be a marketing necessity. I am surprised that the trailer and some of the television spots contain footage from a scene that isn't in the finished film. In that scene Buddy is telling his assistant that Abby "is the first person I've ever met where I'm more worried that she's gonna get tired of me".
The film starts in an airport waiting area where Buddy Amaral (Affleck) and Greg Janello (Tony Goldwyn) join in a conversation with other passengers about their storm delayed flight. Once t
he beautiful Mimi (Natasha Henstridge) makes it clear to playboy/bachelor Buddy that she will spend the night with him, Buddy exchanges tickets with Greg who is anxious to get home to his wife (Paltrow) and kids. Off camera, the plane crashes and all aboard are killed. We then meet Greg's widow, Abby Janello (Paltrow). A year later, Buddy arranges to meet Abby without letting her know that her late husband had replaced him on that fateful flight. The balance of the film deals with Abby and Buddy's relationship and the story is told with warmth and humor. Be warned that the pace is measured, and that there is a lot of conversation.
This is only the second film to be both written and directed by Don Roos, who handled the same two tasks for one of the best 1998 films, The Opposite Of Sex. The tone and pace of Bounce certainly is different from that brittle, brassy style he brought to it. Quite a range! Earlier, Roos also wrote the scripts for Love Field, Single White Female, and one of my tops 100 all time favorites, Boys On The Side. Yes, I'm a fan!
Oscar Winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare In Love, Flesh And Bone) is luminous and totally likeable. A scriptwriting Oscar winner, Ben Affleck (Armageddon, Good Will Hunting), continues on his upward spiral to major stardom and gives his most sensitive performance 
to date. I'm very anxious to see him in 2001's Memorial Day's blockbuster-in-waiting, Pearl Harbor. It's also nice to have one of my personal favorites, Tony Goldwyn (Ghost, Kiss The Girls), play a nice guy, Greg, after successfully portraying several villains in past films. More screentime for him in Bounce would have suited me. Further, I enjoyed Johnny Galecki as Buddy's crisp assistant in a part that might have been played by Eve Arden or Thelma Ritter in the past!
All technical components are fine. Prolific screen songwriter Diane Warren scores again with "Need To Be Next To You," which is well-performed by Leigh Nash at the end of the closing credits.
If you like romantic films with attractive young stars, Bounce is for you.
Wayne Case works in the film industry in Hollywood.
Got a comment? Email Wayne at filmmonthly@hotmail.com