Movie Scene
Cusack, Beckinsale make magic in warm, funny 'Serendipity'

By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service

SERENDIPITY (Rated PG-13 for profanity, brief sex) Three Stars (Good) A tender, but funny fable of love at first sight, as well as a perfectly timed tribute to the setting of the tale: A romantic wonderland called Manhattan. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale are well matched as the film's charming central characters. Peter Chelsom directs. Miramax, 90 mins.

And, sometimes, the result of serendipity is the arrival of our one true love.

On that slight, sentimental, and ultra-romantic premise, "Serendipity" works a bit of light-hearted magic.

It's a tender, but funny fable, as well as a perfectly timed tribute to the setting of the tale: A romantic wonderland called Manhattan.

The well-matched John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale are charming as Jonathan and Sara, two strangers who meet "cute" in the midst of the holiday shopping rush at Bloomingdale's in December 1990.

Both simultaneously grab a pair of gloves on sale. They make each other smile and strike passionate sparks.

But after a delightful evening together, they haven't yet learned each other's names. Instead, the mystically minded Sara makes a suggestion: Let "serendipity" determine if they're meant to be together.

She puts her name inside a book, which she promises to sell to a used-book store. He puts his name on a dollar bill that he puts back into circulation.

They vow if they're meant to be a couple, they'll one day reconnect with the items, learn each other's identity, and live happily ever after.

Like an East Coast variation of "Sleepless in Seattle," "Serendipity" is a movie romance in which the lovers spend most of their screen time apart.

We move more than a decade forward, and find that Sara is living in San Francisco, with a longhaired and vain New Age musician, amusingly patterned on Kenny G. And although Jonathan is still in New York, he's in the midst of preparations for his marriage to Halley (Bridget Moynahan).

But, as Jonathan explains to his friend and best man (Jeremy Piven), he still thinks about this girl i this potential soul mate i he met 11 years earlier at Bloomingdale's.

Of course, just as in "Sleepless in Seattle," we know the central characters absolutely have to get together. Our rooting interest is in how the coupling will come to be.

Thankfully, the plot complications are funny, the fable remains fanciful, and the romance glows.

Cusack has enough depth as an actor to give this confection a touch of reality, but never forgets to turn on the charm or get laughs. Beckinsale, who generated the best performance in "Pearl Harbor," is also both affecting and funny.

Of the supporting actors, Piven entertains with an energetic portrayal of Jonathan's bemused and frustrated confidant.

Director Peter Chelsom gives "Serendipity" an old-fashioned Hollywood sheen, and the bubbly effervescence of champagne. The film offers considerable improvement over his troubled, recent release, "Town & Country," but without the quirky edges of the British films that made his reputation i "Funny Bones" and "Hear My Song."

Rated PG-13, profanity, brief sex.

Jack Garner is chief film reviewer for the Gannett News Service.