Forces of Nature (1999)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Bronwen Hughes

Writer (WGA):

Marc Lawrence (written by)

Release Date:

19 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

He went from the eye of the storm, into the arms of a hurricane.

Plot:

A soon-to-be-married man encounters an exciting stranger after his plane suffers an accident on takeoff.

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Geo Metro | Man Forced To Strip | Chick Flick | Airplane Accident

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Ben Affleck	...	Ben Holmes
Sandra Bullock	...	Sarah Lewis
Maura Tierney	...	Bridget Cahill
Steve Zahn	...	Alan
Blythe Danner	...	Virginia
Ronny Cox	...	Hadley
Michael Fairman	...	Richard Holmes
Richard Schiff	...	Joe
Athena Maria Bitzis	...	Juanita the Bull Tamer (as Athena Bitzis)
Afemo Omilami	...	Cab Driver
David Strickland	...	Steve Montgomery
Jack Kehler	...	Vic DeFranco
Janet Carroll	...	Barbara Holmes
Meredith Scott Lynn	...	Debbie
George Wallace	...	Max (as George D. Wallace)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sensuality, language and a scene of drug use.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (certificate #36559) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

The film was initially marketed as a potentially loose remake of Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), which was also released through Paramount Pictures. Both films feature similar plots, of a businessman who has to return home in a short amount of time and finds himself under the company of an annoying loudmouth. Although it was never billed as a remake, numerous interviews claimed the material was at least inspired by John Hughes' film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: To hear an echo you need a flat vertical surface. When they are on top the train, shouting, there is none visible. There are trees around that would actually absorb sound.

Quotes:

Ben Holmes: Sarah, everybody loves you, you just... you just think they're all wrong.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in How to Make It in Hollywood Before You Make It (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

El Cumbanchero

confused collage of meaningless moments

This movie seems as if someone had a cute idea for a movie, thought of two or three funny possibilities, hired a good cast, then turned the whole thing over to a really bad screenwriter and even worse director. The director filmed a screwball romantic comedy as if it were a dark, artsy film---weird camera angles, blue filtered shots, lingering, close up looks at raindrops. Steve Zahn was good, as always. Ben Affleck was charming, sweet, almost shy; he was perfect for a romantic comedy. Sandra Bullock struggled along valiantly with a character who was supposed to be zany, but whose wackiness consisted of things like madly kissing a husband she hated, abandoning her child, going on carnival rides, offering to strip for money, and bumming a ride with a fellow airline passenger. The script had very few funny lines; there was no physical comedy; it was boring. It introduced potentially funny situations, then cut them off before they could develop. To top it all off, the "twist" at the end was a slap in the face to anyone expecting a fun romantic comedy. If you saw the trailer for the movie and liked it, as I did, my advice is: don't go to the movie. It will only spoil a nice trailer.