Studio executives summary / pitch
|
| Space
traveling sci-fi movie without the expensive special effects.
|
Short plot
summary |
|
Kevin Spacey
plays Prot, a man who claims to have come from planet K-Pax. Jeff Bridges is Dr
Mark Powell, a psychiatrist, who tries to find out if Prot is telling the truth
or not. There
is much evidence which points to Prot's story being true: A sensitivity to ultraviolet
light, knowledge of a little known constellation which he knows the orbits of,
various methods of heeling patients in the asylum, a conversation with a dog...
He apparently goes missing from incarceration for three days at one point... |
What our
panel of critics thought |
|
"I
just don't believe in hypnosis, I want my money back. Powell didn't even get Prot
to do a chicken impression and all, where's the entertainment value in that?" "I
was sitting next to a woman in the cinema who was brought out of a deep sleep
by Jeff Bridges in this movie." "If
Jeff Bridges has done a self-hypnosis tape I want me some of that." "So,
that's what a knocker is." "A
nice little ad for Yahoo in there. Well done guys." "A
moment of flashback hell, thankfully only in brown and white." "OK,
so is he or isn't he? What's a country girl like me to think? I originally thought
yes, then I thought no. Then I thought no again for the longest time, now I'm
not so sure. OK professor, what do you think?": "Shit, Bitch, it's obvious.
He was using the guy's body all along like a parasite. I bet Dr Shit won't let
him push his kid on the swings again now. Bitch, get me another meat sandwich." "Why
is a soap bubble round? So I look like a human? Prot, you're making a calm God
fearing Republican want to go get his gun when you talk like that son." |
Please tell me the ending
|
| Powell
traces Prot's story and discovers that he is (could be using the body of) a Robert
Porter who killed a man, wife and child in New Mexico, Santa Rosa, five years
ago... However,
when it comes for Prot to 'go home' a light source does indeed appear at the predicted
time, however Prot's body remains, albeit apparently changed (something ...Spirit?...
removed?). Bess, one of the asylum buddies, disappears after the Prot deadline
passes, has she been taken to K-Pax? Prot's
body remains. He is last seen being wheelchaired about, his asylum audience sure
he has gone back to K-Pax. |
Justify
this movie's existence in the classic strand. From
theVoiceof Reason.com's Veritable Cornucopia |
|
Kevin
Spacey continues to deliver performances of the finest truffle like caliber, from
the choicest, juiciest, firmest scripts available. Not bad for a crumpled forty
something still working in Hollywood these days. I
can not remember a movie this year which gripped me so, not quite as much as the
nuts in a vice quote, obviously, but I really hoped he would go back at the end,
but alas it seems he remained, or did he? All
possible, apart from the three days absence which is a little unlikely in the
middle. The whole movie however is a fine journey with an ending about as good
as you could get on the budget. |
Quotable
quotes (real) |
|
"He
looks like Data." "Now
if you'll excuse me I have a beam of light to catch." Star
quote: Prot:
"The reproductive process is quite unpleasant." Powell: "Could
you explain it to me using something I would understand like a tooth ache?"
Prot:" It's more like having your nuts in a vice but we can feel it all over...and
what is worse the sensation is associated with something like your nausea accompanied
by a very bad smell. The moment of climax is like being kicked in the stomach,
and then falling in a pool of Mot droppings." |
What snack should I eat while watching this movie?
|
| A
bunch of six banana's - eat without peeling them for the authentic Prot experience. |
If
I were to watch this at home how best should I sit? |
|
On an overhead
projector facing the ceiling. Lay on your back with your legs wide open. |
Could this
movie be improved with more special effects? |
|
This
is a script led movie. A thinking man's sci-fi. It is the understatedness, or
at least the ordinariness of the situation, which makes this story so intriguing.
Some argue 'it aint a Sci-fi movie without the phasers and gunk and silly shaped
foreheads and grunting' - those sci-fi fans will be disappointed in this movie,
there is not a phaser in sight. |
What
can I take from this movie to make me a better person? |
| Never
trust a guy who wears sun glasses indoors, unless he's Bono. |
Estimate
number of minutes of musical backing in this movie. |
| 75
minutes (out of 115). |
How
much would you pay for a copy of this movie in goods? |
| A
garden sprinkler set, and a 'How to scream in slow motion' course. |
Would your exotic pets enjoy this movie?
|
| Dogs
will be excited at the possibility that Robin Williams will pop up at any moment
in this movie. He doesn't but don't tell the mutt that, or you could run the risk
of a return to that annoying raised leg fart period it went through when it was
a pup. Cats
have a soft spot for Jeff Bridges ever since his performance in Jagged Edge -
cats like a guy with that kind of 'tude. Unfortunately this is not one of Jeff
Bridges most grisly performances. Some cats may choose to walk around urinating
at choice points in the room to lay their territorial limits - threaten them with
a nut cracker. Sloths
will enjoy this movie as there is hardly any action. |
Does
this movie attempt technobabble? If so does it succeed. |
| Unfortunately
there is a moment of internet technobabble madness which could upset reality connoisseurs.
Dr Powell, and his assistant, use Yahoo to look up local news stories from a given
date, 5 years ago. The assistant goes straight to the page required. A little
unlikely... As
is the moment in the observatory where the computer takes the lines drawn by Prot
to confirm their accuracy... In
the movie's defense, however, pencils are used for writing rather than lap top
computers. High five. Whoop! |
Would this
movie win awards for performances of the f-word? |
| No.
It is up for the talking about messy sex award, however, see the star
quote above. |
Other
comments |
| A
joy to get an intelligent non-pretentious movie at the time of its release (2001-2).
We really wanted him to be from K-Pax, the ending leaves it open. A
sunglasses wearing jewel amidst the teen-chaff at this point of movie history.
Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey are both superb. |
Date
of review |
| October
7 , 2002 |