Buddy (Ben Affleck), Mimi (Nathasha Henstridge) and Greg (Tony Goldwyn) meet by chance at Ohare Airport in the middle of a winter storm. Greg has let himself be `bumped' for the monetary compensation, since his latest play has flopped. Buddy, a successful advertising executive, gives Greg his ticket in order to have a `one night stand' with Mimi. Buddy coerces the gate ticket agent and `old flame' (Jennifer Grey) into letting Greg use his ticket. The plane goes down and Greg is killed. After a year of guilt-induced alcoholism, Buddy faces Greg's wife, Abby (Gwenynth Paltrow) and falls in love.
`Bounce' bares comparison with another 1999 film about a romance between two people linked by the death of a spouse, `Return to Me.' However, where `Return to Me' was sweet and frothy, `Bounce' is fairly cold and heavy, at least as released by Miramax. This is unfortunate, because the deleted scenes are generally MUCH better than what made it into the final cut. Certainly, `Bounce' is a much more REALISTIC film than `Return to Me'. However, here `realistic' doesn't equate to `better'. Much of the time the movie just lays there, despite exceptionally fine performances by Gwenyth Paltrow and Johnny Galecki (Buddy's gay assistant). Maybe someday, Criterion will release a `director's cut' with all the `good' stuff edited back in. Until that time, `Thud' would be a more appropriate title.
`Bounce' bares comparison with another 1999 film about a romance between two people linked by the death of a spouse, `Return to Me.' However, where `Return to Me' was sweet and frothy, `Bounce' is fairly cold and heavy, at least as released by Miramax. This is unfortunate, because the deleted scenes are generally MUCH better than what made it into the final cut. Certainly, `Bounce' is a much more REALISTIC film than `Return to Me'. However, here `realistic' doesn't equate to `better'. Much of the time the movie just lays there, despite exceptionally fine performances by Gwenyth Paltrow and Johnny Galecki (Buddy's gay assistant). Maybe someday, Criterion will release a `director's cut' with all the `good' stuff edited back in. Until that time, `Thud' would be a more appropriate title.