Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack in "Serendipity."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film an: Stars: John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale Director: Peter Chelsom Rated: PG-13, with profanity and brief sex Length: 90 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(October 5, 2001) -- Sometimes fate creates a happy occurrence. We call it serendipity.

And sometimes, serendipity brings forth our one true love.

On that slight 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 its setting: 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 rush at Bloomingdale's in 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 learned each other's names. Instead, the mystically minded Sara makes a suggestion: Let serendipity determine whether they're meant to be together.

She puts her name inside a book that she'll sell to a used-book store. He puts his name on a dollar bill that he'll put back into circulation. They vow that 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 to find that Sara is living in San Francisco with a long-haired and vain New Age musician, amusingly patterned after Kenny G. Jonathan is still in New York, preparing 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 -- this potential soul mate -- he met 11 years earlier at Bloomingdale's.

Of course, just as in Sleepless in Seattle, we know the central characters must 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 affecting and funny.

Of the supporting actors, Piven entertains with an energetic portrayal of Jonathan's bemused 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 -- Funny Bones and Hear My Song.