Bounce is the kind of movie that presents critics with a serious conundrum. At first it seems like a masterpiece because it is so much better than you thought it would be. But once you begin to deconstruct the dialogue, examine the characters and scrutinize the plot, you realize that it is, in fact, a mediocre motion picture elevated only by an unpolished indie quality and some adequate acting.
Directed by Don Roos, the man who made The Opposite of Sex, Bounce pairs Hollywood’s favorite on-again-off-again, will-they-or-won’t-they, are-they-or-aren’t-they, should-they-or-shouldn’t-they … “but we’re just good friends” duo Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow as Buddy Amaral and Abby Janello.
Buddy and Abby’s connection begins when inclement weather causes flight delays at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Buddy, a narcissistic advertising executive, passes along his first class ticket to Los Angeles to a family man named Greg Janello (played by former Hoboken resident Tony Goldwyn) so he can have a one-night stand with a woman he met at the airport. Unfortunately, the plane crashes somewhere in Kansas, Greg is dead and Buddy is left with a severe case of survivor’s guilt. A downward spiral of blues and booze – culminating in an embarrassing incident at an awards ceremony (where astute audience members might recognize Miramax’s tuxedo clad head megalomaniac Harvey Weinstein) – leads Buddy to Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-steps and Abby Janello. Of course, Buddy doesn’t tell Abby about their morbid connection and the two fall in love. Unfortunately, as is the case with all sentimental love stories, Abby must discover the truth and, after tons of tears and some sanctimonious speeches, the couple must find a way to make up – or not. I don’t want to give away the ending.
The biggest problem with Bounce is not the ridiculous title, or that the plot seems like it was pilfered directly from a Lifetime television movie. And it’s not even the maudlin courtroom conclusion. The biggest problem with Bounce is the dearth of sexual chemistry between the two leading characters. This does not mean that Affleck and Paltrow don’t deliver perfectly passable performances. With her slight frame draped in ankle-length skirts and her blond mane converted to brown, Paltrow makes a semi-believable widow. And Affleck, well, it seems effortless for Affleck to transform himself into a narcissistic advertising executive, and he plays the nice guy well too. But clearly the filmmakers were banking on the couple’s off-screen sexual tension to generate some on-screen salacious heat. Unfortunately, for all the rumors and innuendos surrounding their relationship, even when they’re acting, Affleck and Paltrow don’t seem like lovers. They seem to be exactly what they claim they are: “just good friends.” Maybe it’s time we believe them.
– JoAnne Steglitz