A Fortunate Accident

In a chance meeting at a New York department store (Bloomingdales) Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) meet while choosing the same pair of black cashmere gloves to purchase. They spend the next few hours together in the beautifully decorated New York City at Christmastime. Sara, an avid believer in the stars and Fate, decides she can’t give Jonathan her number and contrives a way for Fate to bring them back together ‘if they’re truly meant for each other’.

She has Jonathan write his name and number on a five dollar bill then spends it on some Certs. Her theory is that if the two of them are meant to be with each other the bill with Jonathan’s name and number on it will find it’s way back to her. She then writes her own name and number in a book (“Love In The Time Of Cholera”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and sells it to a used bookstore, which Fate will put into Jonathan’s hands if the two are truly soulmates.

Jonathan and Sara part, and when we catch up with them years later each is currently engaged to be married. Even though Jonathan’s marriage to Halley Buchanan (played by Bridget Moynahan) is only three days away he keeps hearing the name Sara and thinks Fate is trying to tell him something. He begins a quest (for the second time) to find the book Sara wrote her name in, and a few other things he could think of to track down his dream girl.

At the same time Sara is having doubts about marrying her musician boyfriend Lars Hammond (played by John Corbett). She keeps thinking that she may have left the man of her dreams behind and feels regret at having done so. She decides it’s time to find Jonathan again, and see if they truly are met for each other. A trip is the answer, so Sara tells Lars she’s going away for the weekend and Sara and Eve (Sara’s friend) fly to New York. What follows is the interesting chase with Sara trying to find Jonathan, and Jonathan trying to track down Sara.

An outstanding romantic comedy “Serendipity” is similar to “Sleepless In Seattle”. Just when you think the chase is over and Sara and Jonathan will never find each other, the moment they stop looking - it happens, they find each other!

Although this is an excellent and creative movie, like usual we don’t see Sara and Jonathon spend any time together after they finally meet again. It may be the way these types of stories are told and it’s the favorite ending of most movie goers, but I’d still prefer to see a little more of the story. Despite my own desire, this is an excellent romantic comedy. There’s solid chemistry between all the characters, and it’s a creative and involving story. You’ll fully enjoy all the little ‘signs of Fate’ thrown to you throughout the flick. The book and the five dollar bill both reappear.

This movie has outstanding comedic support from Molly Shannon (Eve, one of Sara’s friends that owns a New Age shop), Jeremy Piven (who plays Jonathan’s friend Dean Kansky) and the hilarious Eugene Levy (a Bloomingdales salesman). The film is written by Marc Klein and directed by Peter Chelsom.

This film is MPAA rated PG-13 for ‘a scene of sexuality’ and ‘brief language’. The scene of sexuality contains no nudity, and is very brief.