Great Film: Serendipity
enjoyable escapism
Jonathan and Sara bump into each other while Christmas shopping in
Bloomingdale's, when they both grab the same pair of black cashmere
gloves at the same time. They go for coffee at a café named Serendipity
which, Jonathan discovers, is Sara's favourite word. A firm believer in
the power of fate, she refuses to give Jonathan her phone number –
instead, she writes her name and number inside the cover of a book,
which she then sells to a secondhand bookshop, telling him that if they
are meant to be together, the book will find its way to him. Likewise,
she makes him write his number on a banknote, which she promptly
spends, telling him that if fate decrees it, the note will find its way
back to her. A few years on, Jonathan and Sara are both engaged to
other people, but each keeps thinking about whether the other is their
true soulmate, and then they start to see signs which they interpret as
the fates trying to tell them something…
This is a charming romantic comedy – a heavy suspension of reality is
required, but that's surely part of the point. Sara's willingness to
leave her future to fate slightly beggars belief, but Beckinsale
manages to make Sara appealing enough. It's prettily shot and perfectly
paced – the movie never flags but everything pitches along perfectly
towards the inevitable but agreeable conclusion (it also keeps itself
to a restrained 90 minutes, which seems increasingly unusual among
modern movies). Cusack is, as always, utterly adorable, with more sex
appeal than 100 Brad Pitts. A little bit of perfect escapism.
Cast
- Dean Kansky played by Jeremy Piven
- Jonathan Trager played by John Cusack
- Halley Buchanan played by Bridget Moynahan
- Sara Thomas played by Kate Beckinsale
- Bloomingdale's Stock Girl played by Lilli Lavine
- Customer At Bloomingdale's (as Michael Guarino) played by Michael Guarino Jr.
- Customer At Bloomingdale's played by Abdul Alshawish
