What a great story. Wonder if this has actually happened in real life: man decides NOT to board a plane, gives a free ticket to a dad who desperatedly wants to go home on christmas eve and the plane crashes.
Guilt. That is what drives Ben Affleck in this movie, being the guy who gave away his ticket to this dad at christmas eve, unknowingly signing his death ticket. Ben Affleck lives, the dad dies. Out of sheer guilt Ben Affleck tries to do good and secretly finds out who the widow is(Gwyneth Paltrow). He wants to ease his guilt by giving the widow a job that will give her a big salary, so she can provide for herself and her kids. Gwyneth Paltrow doesnt know that Ben Affleck was indirectly the cause of her husband's death. With the best intentions Ben Affleck is now secretly interferring in her life. Can Ben Affleck ease his guilt? Will the widow find out the real reason behinds Ben's help?
This story could have easily become very sentimental, but it didnt. This story could easily have become unbelievable, but the dialogues and the script are true to life. Acting is magnificent. One of Affleck's and Paltrow's best roles in their entire carreer. Seen this gem many times now and it is here to stay. Sweet tragedy, really sweet. But as I said earlier what makes this movie so attractive and endearing is the true to life approachment of the story. It really COULD have happened the way it is portrayed here. And credibility is paramount when I truly wanna enjoy a movie. Ideal movie for anybody (family, date, loners) who just wants to get romantically swept away of their feet...
Guilt. That is what drives Ben Affleck in this movie, being the guy who gave away his ticket to this dad at christmas eve, unknowingly signing his death ticket. Ben Affleck lives, the dad dies. Out of sheer guilt Ben Affleck tries to do good and secretly finds out who the widow is(Gwyneth Paltrow). He wants to ease his guilt by giving the widow a job that will give her a big salary, so she can provide for herself and her kids. Gwyneth Paltrow doesnt know that Ben Affleck was indirectly the cause of her husband's death. With the best intentions Ben Affleck is now secretly interferring in her life. Can Ben Affleck ease his guilt? Will the widow find out the real reason behinds Ben's help?
This story could have easily become very sentimental, but it didnt. This story could easily have become unbelievable, but the dialogues and the script are true to life. Acting is magnificent. One of Affleck's and Paltrow's best roles in their entire carreer. Seen this gem many times now and it is here to stay. Sweet tragedy, really sweet. But as I said earlier what makes this movie so attractive and endearing is the true to life approachment of the story. It really COULD have happened the way it is portrayed here. And credibility is paramount when I truly wanna enjoy a movie. Ideal movie for anybody (family, date, loners) who just wants to get romantically swept away of their feet...