Serendipity (PG-13, 2001)

Serendipity is (1) a "happy accident" and (2) a New York restaurant that serves sweet, frozen goodies. It is #1 that brings our couple together, as both try to buy a pair of black cashmere gloves at Bloomingdale's, and #2 where romantic sparks fly when Sarah (Kate Beckinsdale) takes Jonathan (John Cusack) there to thank him for letting her have the gloves. There is a strong romantic connection, but both are involved with other people, so they part, with two romantic note-in-a-bottle opportunities for fate to bring them back together. He writes his name and number on a five dollar bill, which she puts back into circulation. And she writes her name and number in a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera, which she sells to a used book store. Years later, as both are about to get married, they are still drawn to each other. So we're in Sleepless in Seattle/When Harry Met Sally land, watching them just miss each other a dozen times until the happily-ever-after ending.

SERENDIPITY is romantic confection with all the weight of a soap bubble, but it has all the sheen and charm of one, too. Cusack and Beckinsdale are just right, giving a small touch of bittersweet reality to the fairy tale. Sarah's insistence on letting fate determine the outcome could make her seem arbitrary and foolish, but Beckinsdale shows us that it is just the result of Sarah's struggle to overcome a deep romanticism. Cusack, always superb in showing us that same struggle makes Jonathan's quest to find Sarah genuinely touching.

The script wobbles at times. The respective fiancés are neither interesting enough to merit their screen time or awful enough to make us feel comfortable about seeing them get dumped. And the near-misses get a little overdone. Adept performances by sidekicks Molly Shannon and Jeremy Piven and by Eugene Levy as a persnickety Bloomingdale's salesman provide buoyancy. And cinematographer John de Borman captures New York City as a dreamy wonderland, with twinkling lights and floating snowflakes.

Studio: Miramax
Director: Peter Chelsom
Cast: Jeremy Piven, John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale
Genre: Romance
Run time: 90 minutes
Theatrical release: October 5, 2001
DVD release: April 9, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: a scene of sexuality, and for brief language