K-PAX Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)October 29th, 2001
K-PAX (2001)
Rated PG-13; running time 118 minutes
Genre: SciFi/Drama
Seen at: Celebration Cinema (Lansing, Michigan)
Official site: http://www.k-pax.com/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0272152
Written by: Charles Leavitt (based on the novel by Gene Brewer) Directed by: Iain Softley
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Alfre Woodard, Mary McCormack, David Patrick Kelly, Peter Gerety, Brian Howe, Conchata Ferrell, Saul Williams, Tracy Vilar, Celia Weston, Kimberly Scott, Mary Mara
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamskpax.html
As I sat watching the first part of K-PAX, I wondered what the bad rating hullabaloo from quite a few movie critics, was about; I hadn't noticed anything unreasonably stinky about it, and in fact, fairly enjoyed at least Kevin Spacey's usual staunch (if not a bit stiff) performance as Prot, Spaceman From The Planet K-PAX.
And then, the hypnosis started in. Bleah.
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
In the bright lights of Grand Central Station, a man helps a woman who had just been mugged - and is "rewarded" for his efforts by being arrested and then sent to a psychiatric hospital, when he starts Talking Crazy. The man tells Jaded Psychiatrist Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) that his name is Prot, Spaceman From The Planet K-PAX, visiting the backwards strip o' land we call Earth.
Among Prot's quirks is a very high tolerance for psychotropic drugs (in doses that would likely kill a horse), sensitivity to bright lights, and a fondness for Earth fruits. Not to mention Prot's absolute insistence that he is Not Of This Planet. Of course, Dr. Powell, being Jaded, thinks that Prot is Off His Rocker; Powell spends much of his time trying to debunk him, and keep Prot from "curing" his other ward patients. But after Prot dazzles Astrophysicist Steve Becker (Brian Howe) with his scientific knowledge of interplanetary thingies, Dr. Powell begins to have his doubts.
So, is Prot really The Brother From Another Planet, or just some Damaged Earther with serious Issues? That's for him to know, and for Dr. Powell to find out.
The Upshot:
I hate it when a writer or director introduces something to their tale that totally obliterates everything that took place in the minutes before that something occurred. In K-PAX, that "something" was the introduction of hypnosis, and its aftermath. For me, this was like tossing a wet rag onto a smouldering flame, putting what could've been the beginnings of a pretty good bonfire, out in an instant. At that moment, I got the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I did after about the halfway point in WHAT DREAMS MAY COME (starring Robin Williams). I may have been The Only One who liked that movie, but it Worked for me until Williams was made to try to convince us of the director's view of God, heaven, and hell. But, I digress.
The good bits of K-PAX mostly have to do with the remarkable Kevin Spacey, who is (as my "The Box" listmates would put it) one of the few actors for whom I'd be willing to see a bad film, just to catch. He, and to a lesser extent, Jeff Bridges, made the irritation of wading through various displays of ObMovie-Insanity, worth the effort (though Powell's ObFamilyProblems also grinded my gizzard; the kids were non-entities, and poor Mary McCormack was given little to do but Look Pissed).
Thing is, I don't think I've seen a fresh, original representation of asylum residents since ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. This isn't to dis the actors here - including solid character thespians Peter Gerety as Sal ("you stink!"), David Patrick Kelly as Howie, Saul Williams as Ernie, and Celia Weston as Mrs. Archer; I just didn't find myself caring much for their characters [and is it Just Me, or does Tracy Vilar seem to play the same role in every movie or TV show she's in? Poor girl is completely typecast]. And for such a big cast (rounded out by perennial favorites Conchata Ferrell as Nurse Betty, Mary Mara as Powell's sister Abby, and Kimberly Scott - who I'll always remember from THE ABYSS - as receptionist Joyce Trexler), there sure didn't seem to be enough going on to justify 118 minutes of film.
But even more than the fact that the second act pretty much negated the first, it's the journey that Dr. Powell takes to Get Inside Prot's Head, that got my eyes to rolling. Got a problem patient? Invite him to your house for an Independence Day barbecue with The Wife And Kids! Shoot him up with megadoses of drugs - even though he has a history of non-response to them! And by all means, Drop Everything and travel hundreds of miles on a deus ex machina-like hunch, to Solve The Puzzle! Bleah and double bleah.
The misdirection of having Jeff Bridges as co-star, suggesting perhaps an update of his fun film, STARMAN, is interesting - and somewhat distracting. We learn soon enough, though, that K-PAX is more akin to AWAKENINGS (another Williams starrer) than STARMAN - only, without the courage to leave the audience wondering What If? at its conclusion. Even with the after-the-credits end scene tacked on.
bleah.
The "Black Factor" [ObDisclaimer: We Are Not A Monolith]:
I heard a rumor that criminally underused actress Alfre Woodard was in this flick, playing Powell's boss Dr. Claudia Villers; hear tell she even got third billing behind Spacey and Bridges. No...really? She was in it? Hmmm. I must've blinked.
Bammer's Bottom Line:
Too bad K-PAX wasn't a remake of STARMAN after all. It had the star power to do it; but the scribe and his director, it seems, weren't up to snuff. Still, I don't think K-PAX earned the blanket pans that many of my colleagues gave it. If you ask me [and why else would you be reading this review?], Kevin Spacey makes it worth a matinee viewing, or at least a "wait till it hits cable".
K-PAX (rating: flashing yellowlight):
The fault lies not with the stars...
Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001
EMAIL: [email protected]
http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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