Review of Happy Accidents

Happy Accidents is an incredibly imaginative and smartly written story quite unlike anything I've ever seen before. The premise is so absurd it had no business working at all. It ESPECIALLY should not have succeeded on any kind of serious level, and this is a movie that wants to be taken seriously. Somehow, against all odds, everything in this film works. The film grabs our attention from the first scene (dropping us in the middle of the story, before we go back to the beginning) and never lets go. Stellar performances from DOnofrio and Tomei make the ridiculous plot far easier to swallow and it really is difficult to imagine anyone else in these roles. Anyone. Tomei gives us the perfect balance of level-headedness, neuroticism, and urgency; DOnofrio offers a truly eccentric, articulate, and impassioned character. Before we know it, we are completely swept up in the realities of these characters, no matter how painfully familiar or incredibly bizarre. The writing and structuring of the film is done in an expert fashion that adds credibility and emotional engagement to this story as well, while a few very welcome flourishes in visual style add even greater depth. When judging this film for what it is (and that in itself is hard to define) its difficult to find anything at all wrong with this brilliant effort from a talented director and perfect cast. Suspend a bit of disbelief for a moment and curb a bit of cynicism and I promise you will find plenty to enjoy in Happy Accidents.