Serendipity Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Serendipity Blu-ray Movie Review

Fate or free will?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 23, 2011

Is there such a thing as fate? How is it possible to reconcile ideas of free well with those of destiny? These philosophical conundrums have haunted Mankind for millennia, and have actually led to whole religious orders or movements springing up in an attempt to provide answers to them, so it might seem preposterously hubristic for a mere romantic comedy to attempt to do the same thing, but that’s the bar that Serendipity sets for itself. The film was a reasonable success when it was first released in 2001, and it still has maintained a certain cult appeal in the intervening years, but the past ten years or so have been nothing if not an exercise in increased cynicism, so will a film that posits “happily ever after” as a foregone conclusion (if one that takes an awfully long time and lot of convoluted plot machinations to get there) still ring true for audiences? That probably depends on how much of a “hopeless romantic” any individual viewer is, for Serendipity is one of those films where the endgame is not going to be a surprise to anyone, but whose journey to the denouement will either gratify yearnings for that soul mate that supposedly exists for everyone out there in the big, wide world, or alternatively will drive others (probably guys) a little crazy because two idiots don’t consummate what is obviously a great relationship and then spend years trying to find each other again. What the film lacks in surprise or nuance, it partially makes up for with some perhaps unexpectedly sharp writing, courtesy of scenarist Marc Klein, who seems to understand he’s working in a genre that feeds off of clichés a lot of the time, but who uses some of those very tropes to invest Serendipity with occasionally thought provoking musings on whether two people are “fated” to be together.

Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) “meet cute” at a glove counter in Bloomingdale’s in the rush of the Christmas shopping mayhem when they both attempt to get the last pair of black cashmere gloves that is for sale. Some sort of instantaneous spark erupts between them and after a bit of back and forth they end up going out for food and drinks together at the serendipitously named Serendipity III, a real life restaurant in Manhattan. They seem to be chalking up everything to one of those chance encounters that go nowhere, and bid each other goodbye, but they each soon realize they’ve left something at Serendipity III and each return, meeting each other “cute” a second time. Is fate trying to tell them something?

That leads to one of the most smartly written scenes in the entire film, a lovely exchange when the two decide to stay together and go ice skating at Central Park. A bit of philosophical parry and thrust is infused through the typical “getting to know you” banter as Jonathan and Sara both obviously feel some force greater than themselves is at work, but neither is willing to completely go out on a limb and accept that “true love” is in the offing for them, especially since Jonathan at least is already involved, and had in fact been shopping for his girlfriend at the glove bar in Bloomingdale’s. That sets up the labyrinthine second act of Serendipity, where soft hearted viewers will no doubt be “oohing” and “aahing” over the two ostensible lovers’ attempts to get to that “happily ever after,” while more jaded types are going to be rolling their eyes repeatedly at the convoluted machinations that over and over again keep them apart— usually, just barely.

It’s in this central section of Serendipity that the film most shows its seams, for few if any will doubt that Jonathan and Sara are made for each other, and the nooks and crannies that Klein’s screenplay forces the characters to explore before ultimately they find each other again (that is not a spoiler, at least not in any real sense of the word). When the characters insist that “this must happen” or “that must happen” in order for their attraction to be deemed “fate,” it becomes a sort of “meta” commentary that the two characters are slathering on their experience that begins to wear out its welcome after a while, especially when everything could have been wrapped up quite easily that first evening. (But then again there would be no movie in that case).

If more jaded types can keep their annoyance level down with regard to this plot devices, there’s a lot to like about Serendipity, including two very winning lead performances by Cusack and Beckinsale, and some appealing supporting work from Jeremy Piven as Cusack’s buddy and Molly Shannon as Beckinsale’s best friend. The two “almost spouses” the couple seem to be ending up with, including John Corbett as Beckinsale’s beau, are largely wasted, and the film seems kind of churlish in its treatment of these two people, who may not be “made” for the lead characters, but who aren’t so egregiously awful that audiences are rooting against them in any large way. Eugene Levy is also on hand in a kind of hammy, overly fussy role that is somewhat akin to the Bronson Pinchot role in Beverly Hills Cop or Martin Short in the remake of Father of the Bride.

Serendipity may not offer a lot of unexpected twists and turns, and in fact tests the patience of its audience more than a time or two with extremely expected obstacles which come between the supposedly predestined lovers, but the breeziness of the dialogue and the overall winning performances of the cast help to make the clichés go down a little easier than they might have under less artfully handled circumstances. The film does have one kind of interesting element that harkens back to the little remembered Mia Farrow-Dustin Hoffman starrer John and Mary. That film, about as diametrically opposed to Serendipity in every way possible, also brought together two lovers—in this case for a one night stand—who, like Jonathan and Sara in this film, don’t actually introduce themselves by name until the closing moments of the film. Sometimes happily ever after takes a little time to get there.

Serendipity Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Serendipity is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate-Miramax with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Like a lot of these recent Miramax catalog releases that Lionsgate is putting out on Blu-ray, Serendipity looks decently sharp and well detailed almost all of the time, though there are elements of slightly oversaturated color that tend to make things look slightly artificial at times, as well as a slightly waxy appearance at times that argues toward at least moderate DNR. Some of the location footage here looks astoundingly clear and beautifully three dimensional seeming, and fine detail in close-ups is very appealing and well defined. On the other hand, there are a couple of either stock shots or second unit shots, notably some establishing shots in San Francisco, that are fairly soft and even shoddy looking. There are some minor artifacting elements apparent in some of the skyline scenes, notably some shimmer on buildings as well as noticeable edge enhancement in several scenes, but these issues are fairly transitory and don't detract too much from the overall decency of this presentation.

Serendipity Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Serendipity's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix benefits from the copious source cues that director Chelsom inserts into the proceedings, including everything from Shawn Colvin to Chelsom's own personal favorite (which he talks about at length in his commentary track) Nick Drake. These elements help to solidify the film's surround potential, though there are a number of excellently immersive sequences, including the opening segment in a busy Bloomingdale's, and later, albeit a bit more subtly, at the skating rink. Fidelity is excellent throughout the film and while this is obviously a dialogue driven, more often than not two person at a time, affair, there's a surprising amount of ambient environmental sounds that creep through the side and rear channels, a lot of it due to the Manhattan setting. While there's not an awful lot of low end in this mix, overall frequency ranges sound very strong and dynamic range is also nicely varied.

Serendipity Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Feature Commentary with Director Peter Chelsom. Chelsom is an ingratiating commentator, rather low key and very understated in that classic British way, but one who obviously loved this project immensely and is proud of how "painless" the shoot was (he repeatedly talks about the lack of drama or issues in getting the film wrapped). For pure technical information on the actual shoot, his Production Diary (see below) is probably the better bet, but this is a consistently interesting commentary from an anecdotal standpoint if nothing else.
• Behind the Scenes Starz Encore "On the Set" (SD; 19:54) is an engaging enough promo puff piece that aired on Starz when the movie first came out, with interviews with the cast and crew and film clips.
• Peter Chelsom's Production Diary is a text based supplement that offers some interesting commentary on the shoot (and a few re-shoots).
• Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Peter Chelsom (SD; 15:50) features alternate opening and some extra scenes for some of the supporting characters, including Molly Shannon.
• Storyboard Comparison (SD; 00:45) features the scene at the driving range.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2:31)

Serendipity Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Most of us like to "bargain" with fate, or at least we like to pretend we're bargaining with fate, with such gambits as "If the telephone doesn't ring in the next 30 seconds, it's okay to have that second pint of Haagen Dazs." That same obviously ridiculous behavior often spills into our love lives, and that's the central conceit of Serendipity, though the film spends so much time keeping the two "made for each other" stars apart that some people are going to be tearing their hair out after awhile wishing that the damned "happily ever after" would hurry up and arrive already. Bolstered by extremely winning performances by Cusack and Beckinsale, and with a fitfully engaging screenplay by Marc Klein, the film may never really overcome its inherent clichés, but it will probably appeal to those hopeless romantics out there, perhaps because of those very clichés. This Blu-ray looks fine and sounds great, and comes with some appealing supplements. Recommended.