K-PAX Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT aol DOT com)November 14th, 2001
K-PAX (2001)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
November 14th, 2001
RATING: 2 stars
Do not be fooled by the ads. "K-PAX" will not make you change the way you look at the world for one good reason - you've seen this tale before and done far better. Consider it an "Analyze This" crossed with the haunting riches of "Man Facing Southeast" and you'll see how the melding of different films and tones result in one confused, predictable, highly indifferent movie.
Kevin Spacey is the stubbly new patient at the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan, having just been admitted as he was found wandering at a train station commenting on Earth's brightness. He calls himself Prot and claims to be an alien from the planet K-PAX. There is a haggard psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges), who has the task of determining Prot's sanity and whether or not he is an alien. Prot is persuasive. He is so persuasive that the doctor is convinced the man is not so delusional. Dr. Powell gathers a panel of astronomers to determine whether Prot's supposed solar system, 100 light years away, exists. Prot draws a diagram that has the astronomers astounded in disbelief. It is this crucial scene that had me convinced the man is an alien or he has studied astronomy and is some kind of scientific genius.Why? Because the astronomers are shown to be astounded. If this is not enough proof and Dr. Powell is sure Prot could be mentally ill, then why doesn't he ask a question that bugged me througho
ut the movie: since when do aliens sport stubble?
These questions would not have bothered me in the slightest if the movie hadn't bored me. Unfortunately, the director Iain Softley ("The Wings of the Dove") finds a rather monotonous tone by delaying the plot for as long as humanly possible, and keeps repeating key scenes with little flair or energy. The scenes between Prot and the doctor should be engaging and fascinating but something is off. Spacey and Bridges seem indifferent and speak in hushed tones that only drove me nuttier than Prot. Bridges is the master of hushed tones, finding a voice decibel level that is often inviting. Not so this time, and Spacey, one of the most electrifying actors working today, is too restrained for his own good. I sense that he was miscast in this role - perhaps someone like Christopher Walken (who looks like an alien) might have cut right to the core of Prot.
And to make matters worse, we have the motley crew of patients that irritate in ways I cannot begin to describe. They just aren't engaging in any way, nothing like the similar group of patients in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "Awakenings." Here they seem to be marking time, and their weight is dictated by Prot's ability to cure them of their mental states and his promise to take one lucky patient back to his home planet.
"K-PAX" is one awkward hybrid of comedy and offbeat drama that results in a typical, simple morality tale. Prot teaches the doctor a valuable lesson about family and unity. He seems to say that we must be united and invest time on this great planet earth doing so. I would have expected more from a would-be alien as smart as Einstein.
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