Movie-A-Day #139: K-Pax

[KingLouieLouie]

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If there was ever one film in which I thought deeply and profoundly impacted by after leaving the theatre, it would definitely be K-Pax.... Thanks to Amazon.com again.....

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Based on a novel by Gene Brewer, K-PAX works best as an adult drama of self-discovery, blessed by the talents of costars Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. Bridges plays Manhattan psychiatrist Mark Powell, who thinks he's seen it all until he's assigned to analyze Prot (Spacey), a psychiatric patient who claims to be from a distant planet called K-PAX. Powell is convinced that Prot is "a convincing delusional," but his cynicism turns to open-minded fascination as Prot's case reveals a combination of otherworldly insight and all-too-human trauma, prompting an earthbound explanation for Prot's allegedly alien origins. As directed by Ian Softley (Wings of the Dove), this curiously engrossing drama allows Spacey to create a provocative and humorously eccentric enigma, while Bridges superbly conveys his character's compassionate empathy. Their finely shaded performances raise K-PAX above the forced ambiguity of its ending, which is both thought-provoking and vaguely anticlimactic. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.

Personal Note:
I must admit that I never read the novel, so I wouldn't personally know if the movie version was a fair adaptation.... Spacey was exceptional in this role and should have warranted more Oscar consideration than he did....This was a complex character to portray, but he did it so flawlessly....Just perfect.... I thought that Jeff Bridges also turned in an Oscar calibre perfomance himself...His character was very skeptical whether or not to believe "Prot", but he still managed to come across very compassionate and understanding at the same time...I only saw this film once and I don't know if I'd ever see it again since it's one of those films that probably might lose its edge and affect if by watching it more than once.... If I gave away any detail about this movie for those who haven't seen it, I wont since it would deprive one of the K-Pax experience....It's definitely one must see and it's suited for everyone.....

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by KingLouieLouie

Personal Note:
I must admit that I never read the novel, so I wouldn't personally know if the movie version was a fair adaptation.... Spacey was exceptional in this role and should have warranted more Oscar consideration than he did....This was a complex character to portray, but he did it so flawlessly....Just perfect.... I thought that Jeff Bridges also turned in an Oscar calibre perfomance himself...His character was very skeptical whether or not to believe "Prot", but he still managed to come across very compassionate and understanding at the same time...I only saw this film once and I don't know if I'd ever see it again since it's one of those films that probably might lose its edge and affect if by watching it more than once.... If I gave away any detail about this movie for those who haven't seen it, I wont since it would deprive one of the K-Pax experience....It's definitely one must see and it's suited for everyone.....

Sorry KLL, but I have to respectfully disagree with almost everything here. If you could point to a performance where Kevin Spacey sleepwalked through, than this is it. If you watch Usual Suspects and then this movie, you can see how nuanced Verbal Kint is--much more if you didn't have something to compare it to.

As for Jeff Bridges, I like him, but again, he pretty much played an everyman. He played it well, of course, because he's a good actor, but it's no different than, say, his performance in Seabiscuit.

As for the movie itself--it certainly is an intriguing premise, but it seems to be overly extending the "Awakenings" type of plot--deranged patient having an effect on the doctor. The only difference here is that the patient thinks he's an alien. The ending is ambiguous and thought-provoking, sure, but up until that point there really isn't much to lead to it, because, after all, Prot IS a very disturbed individual, and the audience isn't meant to go in thinking that he really is an alien.

 

[Ryanwb]

Sorry to not sugarcoat this: The movie sucked...majorlet down and left me wondering what was going through Kevin Spacey's head to accept a role such as this. He usually makes some pretty good movie selections so I will just see a movie that has him in it.

I didn't feel any chemistry with Spacey and Bridges and something about the movie didn't sit right....

 

[vince56]

I agree with the first poster, I loved this film, and I echo his comments. I liked how all the clues throughout the movie lead would lead you to believe he's an alien, yet most people coming out of the theater thought he was just a human. It was very well written and very well acted. The times when Spacey is in hypnosis, I thought, were his finest moments in the film as an actor. That's hard to pull that off convincingly and really convey those emotions.

 

[KingLouieLouie]

Re: Re: Movie-A-Day #139: K-Pax

Originally posted by Chaplin
Sorry KLL, but I have to respectfully disagree with almost everything here. If you could point to a performance where Kevin Spacey sleepwalked through, than this is it. If you watch Usual Suspects and then this movie, you can see how nuanced Verbal Kint is--much more if you didn't have something to compare it to.

As for Jeff Bridges, I like him, but again, he pretty much played an everyman. He played it well, of course, because he's a good actor, but it's no different than, say, his performance in Seabiscuit.

As for the movie itself--it certainly is an intriguing premise, but it seems to be overly extending the "Awakenings" type of plot--deranged patient having an effect on the doctor. The only difference here is that the patient thinks he's an alien. The ending is ambiguous and thought-provoking, sure, but up until that point there really isn't much to lead to it, because, after all, Prot IS a very disturbed individual, and the audience isn't meant to go in thinking that he really is an alien.

I believe Spacey "sleeped-walk" through this movie for effect.... If he played the role of "Prot" with more emotion, then it would have come off as extremely superficial....

I do agree with your point on "Awakenings" (which I have considered to do as a movie-a-day myself since I love most movies that have Robin Williams and Robert Di Nero respectively), but I think the ending of the movie though really is what impacted me.....It was the type of conclusion that really captivated most people that saw it.......