Themes: Star-Crossed Lovers, Time Travel, Fish Out of Water
Main Cast: Marisa Tomei, Vincent D'Onofrio, Nadia Dajani, Tovah Feldshuh, Holland Taylor
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 110 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Is Ruby Weaver's Mr. Right really an emissary from the year 2,470, or is he just a complete loon ball? This question is at the heart of Brad Anderson's whimsical romantic comedy. The story opens with Ruby (Marisa Tomei) lamenting over her boyfriend Sam (Vincent D'Onofrio) to her shrink (Holland Taylor). In a series of flashbacks, the film quickly sketches Ruby as a neurotic with an unhappy track record concerning men and Sam as an oddball who is afraid of small dogs and has a barcode tattooed to his arm. But he's nuts over Ruby, and at least initially, that is enough for her. Slowly, Sam begins to reveal his "past." He tells her that he is from the Dubuque of the future and that he hails from a rare "anachronistic" family who believe that reproduction should occur the old-fashioned, fun way as opposed to the more popular cloning method. At first, Ruby is amused, until she realizes that he's not kidding. After a series of arguments, he agrees to visit Ruby's analyst, which yields unexpected results. This film premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Lucio Seixas - Art Director, Walken/Jaffe Casting - Casting, Victoria Farrell - Costume Designer, Brad Anderson - Director, Brad Anderson - Editor, John Sloss - Executive Producer, Caroline Kaplan - Executive Producer, Jonathan Sehring - Executive Producer, Derrick Tseng - Line Producer, Evan Lurie - Composer (Music Score), Susan Block - Production Designer, Susan A. Stover - Producer, Kara Cressman - Set Designer, Noah Vivekanand Timan - Sound/Sound Designer, Brad Anderson - Screenwriter
Happy Accidents is a 2000 film starring Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio. The movie revolves around Ruby Weaver, a New York woman with a string of failed relationships, and Sam Deed, a man who claims to be from the year 2470. The film was shot almost entirely in Brooklyn, New York.
Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei) is weary of her long history of failed relationships with men when she meets Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio) in a park. But after the two fall in love, Ruby becomes suspicious of Sam's past and under pressure from her, he finally explains that he is really from the year 2470 and is what he calls a "back traveler". Ruby initially ignores this story, considering it yet another case of male nerdy weirdness, but after Sam's persistence, apparent conviction, and growing agitation, she begins to wonder. Finally she takes him to see her therapist (Holland Taylor). Ruby becomes worried as to Sam's sanity when he states that everything he has done was a deliberate attempt to change her life. At the close of the film it is revealed that not only Deed, but the psychologist too, are in fact "back travelers," and Deed is shown using the emotional component of a controversial idea called the Cheeseman Theory to reverse time himself in order to save Weaver from being hit by an onrushing car that had killed her in her previous lives.
Happy Accidents was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2000. The film later opened in limited release on August 24, 2001 to 2 screens in New York City, New York earning $14,840 on its opening weekend before reaching a widest release of 49 screens and grossing a total of $688,523 domestically in the United States.[1]
In his review of the film Roger Ebert describes Happy Accidents as being "essentially silliness crossed with science fiction", giving the film a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.[2] Ebert's co-host on Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper, enjoyed the film even more and ranked it #8 on his top ten films of the year list.
