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Serendipity

  • 20012001
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
112K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,920
121
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale in Serendipity (2001)
CT #3
Play trailer1:38
3 Videos
82 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Romance

A couple search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they'd end up together.A couple search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they'd end up together.A couple search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they'd end up together.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
112K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,920
121
  • Director
    • Peter Chelsom
  • Writer
    • Marc Klein
  • Stars
    • John Cusack
    • Kate Beckinsale
    • Jeremy Piven
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Chelsom
  • Writer
    • Marc Klein
  • Stars
    • John Cusack
    • Kate Beckinsale
    • Jeremy Piven
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 427User reviews
    • 120Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Videos3

    Serendipity
    Trailer 1:38
    Serendipity
    Serendipity
    Trailer 1:37
    Serendipity
    Serendipity
    Trailer 1:41
    Serendipity

    Photos82

    John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale in Serendipity (2001)
    Kate Beckinsale and Molly Shannon in Serendipity (2001)
    John Cusack and Bridget Moynahan in Serendipity (2001)
    Kate Beckinsale and John Corbett in Serendipity (2001)
    John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale in Serendipity (2001)
    John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, and Eugene Levy in Serendipity (2001)
    John Cusack and Jeremy Piven in Serendipity (2001)
    John Cusack in Serendipity (2001)
    Kate Beckinsale in Serendipity (2001)
    John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven, John Corbett, Simon Fields, and Molly Shannon at an event for Serendipity (2001)
    Jeremy Piven at an event for Serendipity (2001)
    Jeremy Piven at an event for Serendipity (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Cusack
    John Cusack
    • Jonathan Trageras Jonathan Trager
    Kate Beckinsale
    Kate Beckinsale
    • Sara Thomasas Sara Thomas
    Jeremy Piven
    Jeremy Piven
    • Dean Kanskyas Dean Kansky
    Bridget Moynahan
    Bridget Moynahan
    • Halley Buchananas Halley Buchanan
    Eugene Levy
    Eugene Levy
    • Bloomingdale's Salesmanas Bloomingdale's Salesman
    Lilli Lavine
    • Bloomingdale's Stock Girlas Bloomingdale's Stock Girl
    Michael Guarino Jr.
    • Customer At Bloomingdale'sas Customer At Bloomingdale's
    • (as Michael Guarino)
    Abdul Alshawish
    • Customer At Bloomingdale'sas Customer At Bloomingdale's
    Stephen Bruce
    • Host At Serendipityas Host At Serendipity
    David Sparrow
    David Sparrow
    • Josh's Dadas Josh's Dad
    Ann Talman
    Ann Talman
    • Bloomingdale's Saleswoman #1as Bloomingdale's Saleswoman #1
    Crystal Bock
    Crystal Bock
    • Bloomingdale's Saleswoman #2as Bloomingdale's Saleswoman #2
    Gary Gerbrandt
    • Joshas Josh
    Kate Blumberg
    Kate Blumberg
    • Courtneyas Courtney
    Ron Payne
    • Louis Trageras Louis Trager
    Marcia Bennett
    Marcia Bennett
    • Mrs. Trageras Mrs. Trager
    Victor A. Young
    • Mr. Buchananas Mr. Buchanan
    • (as Victor Young)
    Eve Crawford
    • Mrs. Buchananas Mrs. Buchanan
    • Director
      • Peter Chelsom
    • Writer
      • Marc Klein
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Jonathan Trager and Sara Thomas met while shopping for gloves in New York. Though buying for their respective lovers, the magic was right and a night of Christmas shopping turned into romance. Jon wanted to explore things further but Sara wasn't sure their love was meant to be. They decided to test fate by splitting up and seeing if destiny brought them back together... Many years later, having lost each other that night, both are engaged to be married. Still, neither can shake the need to give fate one last chance to reunite them. Jon enlists the help of his best man to track down the girl he can't forget starting at the store where they met. Sara asks her new age musician fiance for a break before the wedding and, with her best friend in tow, flies from California to New York hoping destiny will bring her soulmate back. Near-misses and classic Shakespearean confusion bring the two close to meeting a number of times but fate will have the final word on whether it was meant to be. —Lordship <lordship@juno.com>
    • fate
    • destiny
    • serendipity
    • christmas
    • coincidence
    • 43 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Destiny ... With A Sense Of Humor.
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality, and for brief language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale filmed only a few days together during the shoot, much like their characters saw each other only for a limited time.
    • Goofs
      The $5 banknote with Jon's name and phone number is shown three times in the film: On the first evening, when Jon initially labels the banknote, years later when Eve gets the note as change and the following day when Sara uses the note to pay on the plane. The inscription varies slightly from scene to scene. This can be explained as a simple requisite error or tells a detail of the story which is not shown in the film: To increase his chances Jon may have labeled many more $5 banknotes and passed them on.
    • Quotes

      Dean: You know the Greeks didn't write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: "Did he have passion?".

    • Alternate versions
      On the DVD, there are a few deleted scenes:
      • An alternate opening of how Jon and Sara meet.
      • A scene where Sara asks Jon questions called she calls 'cubing'.
      • Their first kiss.
      • Jon and Dean talking about fate in the car while Eugene Levy's character is driving.
      • Eve explaining how to use the Casanova candle.
      • Sara going to see a psychic after she sees the "Cool Hand Luke" poster.
      • Sara getting a phone call asking if her building sells cashmere gloves.
      • Sara explaining to Eve how she feels about her fiance and a painting she once saw.
      • Jon going home and looking out the window after he loses Sara.
    • Connections
      Featured in On the Set: Serendipity (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Cool Yule
      Written by Steve Allen

      Performed by Louis Armstrong

      Courtesy of MCA Records

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

      [Played during the opening credits, the last scene and the end credits]

    User reviews427

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Enchanting romantic comedy
    This charming romantic comedy has all the right ingredients and serves up a bouillabaisse of schmaltzy romance and slapstick fun. Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sara (Kate Beckinsale) meet in Bloomingdales when they both want to purchase the same pair of gloves. The attraction is instant and they spend a romantic evening cavorting around New York City together. At the end of the evening John wants to see her again, but Sara decides that if it is fate that they should be together, they will find each other again. She drives away in a cab and he never sees her again. Well, almost never.

    Years go by and both of them are about to be married, but each still has this nagging feeling that the other was his/her one true love. Of course fate conspires to bring them back together (after about a dozen near misses) as they each simultaneously undertake one last attempt to find one another just before they get married to someone else.

    The fate angle is plowed mercilessly, almost to the point of nausea, but the skits are funny and the chemistry between Cusack and Beckinsale is enchanting. Cusack is an expert at playing the tortured and neurotic lover, but here he is more haunted and forlorn than dysfunctional, and it plays much better than his previous two characters in `High Fidelity' and `America's Sweethearts'.

    Kate Beckinsale rocketed from obscurity to prominence with her performance in `Pearl Harbor' and proves to be a wonderful romantic lead in this film. She is breezy and adorable and spins a delightful web around Jonathan and the viewer. The film also benefits from outstanding comedic support from Jeremy Piven as Jonathan's best friend and devoted Sara sleuth. Piven's zany comedy proves to be the perfect complement to Cusack's wry despondency. Eugene Levy is a scream as the eccentric Bloomingdales salesman, who blackmails Jonathan into buying half the store to give him information from Sara's charge account.

    All in all, this is an entertaining comedy that is insubstantial but delectable. I tend to give romantic comedies a little more slack, because I'm a sucker for this slush, and this is one of the better ones I've seen in a while so I rated it a 9/10. This lighthearted romp makes a great date flick, but if serious drama is your preference stay away.
    helpful•98
    15
    • FlickJunkie-2
    • May 7, 2002

    FAQ1

    • Is Lars' music single based on a real song?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 5, 2001 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Señales de amor
    • Filming locations
      • Serendipity 3 - 225 E 60th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Miramax
      • Tapestry Films
      • Simon Fields Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $28,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $50,294,317
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,309,241
      • Oct 7, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $77,516,304
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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