K-PAX Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)November 16th, 2001
K-PAX (2001) / ** 1/2
Directed by Iain Softley. Screenplay by Charles Leavitt, based on the novel by Gene Brewer. Starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack. Running time: 120 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on November 16th, 2001.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Prot (Spacey) claims to be from another planet, K-PAX. Mark Powell (Bridges) is the psychiatrist assigned to Prot's psychiatic ward. As Prot touches the lives of those around him, Powell questions whether he could actually be telling the truth. How else to explain his ability to see ultraviolet light, or vanish into thin air? When Prot reveals that his return to K-PAX is imminent, Powell races against time to unearth the mystery of his past.
Review: "K-PAX" is probably a better movie than it should have been. Much of this is due to Kevin Spacey, who proves once again what a versatile talent he is. As Prot, Spacey owns this film; he's charismatic, funny, enigmatic and -- at just the right moments -- touching. There is great latitude in Leavitt's script to take things over the top, but while Spacey doesn't homogenise his character, nor does he overindulge. The actor walks a fine line between comedy and drama, and it's a testament to Spacey's success that the two blend seamlessly. But as interesting as Prot is, he's trapped in a story which owes too much to "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" and not enough to genuine originality. Prot's ward is filled with the kinds of colourful eccentrics we've come to expect from this kind of picture: they each have delightful quirks, and none is so dysfunctional as to temper the atmosphere of jollity. Similarly, Bridges' rather bland Dr Powell endures family troubles lifted from just about every one-hour drama in the history of broadcast television. Fortunately, Softley's direction rises above the banalities of the script; he makes great use of light-related phenomena -- reflections, refractions, and so forth. And "K-PAX" offers a pleasantly ambiguous ending which is, paradoxically, far more satisfying than a more concrete resolution could ever have been.
Copyright © 2001 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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