Rating: 
Summary: When the trailer is better than the movie (MINOR SPOILERS)
Review: OK, I'll admit it - I thought from the trailer that this might just be American Beauty in Space. You know the drill - humor and pathos and ultimately some sense that life is its own redemption. The beginning of the movie was so promising: subtlety, ambiguity, some stunning photography of the light show that the sun puts on in Grand Central Terminal. (For cinematography, I would give this film five stars, by the way.) Prot (Kevin Spacey) appears and exihibits strange behavior that does not give the game away in the first two minutes (as so many recent films feel they have to do). Prot is admitted to the care of a psychiatrist (Jeff Bridges) and as he enters the hospital there is a lovely effect as the reflections of the two faces - doctor and patient - blend through the one way mirror. Aha, I thought, possibilities.Unfortunately, the screenplay loses power almost immediately. It is not hard to figure out that the issue is whether Prot is a crazy human being or an alien. But in answering that intriguing question, we are given a parade of cliched characters who are introduced not to add human dimensions to the story but to advance the plot: the iron-willed hospital administrator, the long-suffering second wife, the brother (who just happens to be an astronomer? hello...), the various charming and harmless psychiatric patients who are not characters but walking diagnoses ("But doctor, an obsessive compulsive does not..."). The plot's twists and turns are neither plausible nor revealing. The tone of the movie keeps changing: humorous, tragic, is this a detective story, an illness of the week story, or sci fi? For me, it is the ultimate sign of a weak screenplay that I started to notice the extraordinary camera work and the extraordinarily intrusive score. In a good movie, I tend to forget I am even watching a movie - the medium becomes transparent to the story experience. Here I was doing technical notes! In the interests of candor, I left before the end of the movie. I didn't care enough about any of the characters that the outcome mattered. If you have Kevin Spacey in your movie, do not, repeat, do not, have him wear sunglasses 85% of the time. Mr. Spacey is an actor of superb range but the lower part of his face is not the seat of his expressiveness. The poet never said that the chin is the mirror of the soul. And, if your screen writer actually has the sheriff say: "Oh, I remember that. It was the biggest thing to happen in these parts," fire him.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting extrapolation from a true story.
Review: Few people remember a book called "The Fifty-Minute Hour" by Dr. Robert Lindner (who also wrote "Rebel Without A Cause"), but the story of prot was originally based on a famous case detailed in that book. The fictional prot (protagonist?) was mislabeled with "multiple personalities", because at the time of the novel, this quite real condition was being used as a grab-bag diagnosis for everything doctors couldn't figure out. However, in real life, the alien visitor simply got tired of writing reams of scientific detail to prove his bona fides to the doctor, and declared himself cured of his own delusions. Have fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Has "Oscar" Written All Over It
Review: When a man calling himself K-PAX (Spacey) arrives at New York's Grand Central Station announcing he is from another planet, the obvious course of action for the authorities to take is to send him to a mental hospital. Once there, K-PAX is entrusted to a kindly shrink (Bridges) who becomes more and more impressed by the man's convictions. Could he really be from another planet? Has a very intelligent script, wonderful acting, and great directing, I recommend checking this out on its release date!
Rating: 
Summary: Nanoo Nanoo
Review: I would categorise "K-Pax" in the "Dead Poet's Society", "The Awakening", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" genre. It is a movie that brings home the message of Carpe Diem or "Seize the Day", about cherishing what matters to us in life & not having to wonder about the what-if question. It is such a joy watching Kevin Spacey doing what he loves best, acting & it's quite interesting to cast Jeff Bridges as the psychiatrist, who played a role not unlike Prot (Kevin Spacey's character) in movie edition of Starman almost fifteen years ago. There were moments in the movie when we got to laugh at ourselves being human, & there were disturbing moments when we truly felt for the emotional turmoil that went thru Prot's head, & there were moments when we wondered if Prot is an alien or just a delusional individual. The open ended conclusion generated more questions than providing us with more conclusive answers about Prot but just like life, it's an open ended book, full of twists & turns but wonderful just the same. A truly inoffensive but enjoyable movie to watch
Rating:
Summary: good, but what the heck?????????
Review: Fine acting for the most part, an enjoyable story line and good photography, too. But I have to ask: how does Spacey know the orbit trajectories or whatever it is of his supposed far-off galaxy? Did he secretly bone up on this one thing to sway the authorities? And the ending! A vibrant, intelligent (if troubled) person is turned into a drooling basket case by the brilliant doctors of Manhattan Institute. Now that's some serious doctoring! And then the good doctor finally bonds with his son? Huh?
Rating:
Summary: Unsatisfying
Review: Sorta of a modern day "Cuckoo's Nest" with Kevin Spacey claiming to be an alien from K-Pax and Jeff Bridges as the overly absorbed psychiatrist trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. The major problem with this movie is that this is incredibly unsatisfying. The first part of the movie is spent trying to make a case that Prot (played by Spacey) is really an alien, since he knows the precise orbit of K-Pax and can eat whole fruit including the skin and appears sensitive to ultraviolet light. But the second part of the movie seems to become a murder mystery and makes the case that Prot really is a man who came home to find his wife and daughter murdered and thus went off the deep end, literally. Both premises appear logical but neither is well explained. If Prot is really an alien, how come he looks like this other guy? And if he is the other guy, what explains his behavior? The weakest part of the story is the loonies at the mental hospital that surround Prot. They seem like rejects from Cuckoo's Nest and while they add color, they don't particularly help to advance the story. There is one scene when the paitents get worked up about seeing a bluebird that appears to have been copied directly from the World Series scene in "Cuckoo's Nest." Spacey is believable as a would-be alien and Bridges is fine as the doctor who is so engrossed in his work that he has negelcted his family. There is the usual cliched mesaage that has been told in a multitude of movies - appreciate what you have before it is too late. I know that some will rationalize the weak ending by stating "It's left to your imagination". Fine, but that is just an excuse for poor filmmaking. A story needs to have a point of view and tell it with conviction. "K-Pax's" failure to tell a story leaves us mostly empty.
Rating:
Summary: Space Alien or Gentle Madman? Not even the Director knows
Review: A man claiming to be a traveler from another planet winds up in a mental health institution where he almost convinces his doctor that he is telling the truth. The "space alien" (Kevin Spacey) calls himself Prot. Prot seems genuine. His "alien" eyes are sensitive to light, so he must wear sunglasses. He loves fruit, eating a banana whole, skin and all, and remarking, "Your produce alone was worth the trip [to Earth]." His analyst, Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) asks many questions about life on K-PAX, Prot's home planet. Prot gives Dr. Powell many interesting details, including the location of the obscure constellation "Lycra," where K-PAX is located. The first half of the film seems designed to convince us that Prot is a true alien. He "just appears" at a bus station where he is first discovered, according to a witness. When questioned by astronomers and astrophysicists at a planetarium, he illustrates the orbit of K-PAX within the constellation Lycra, using alegebraic equations and a light pen, which is then projected onto the projected sky of the planetarium. The scientists are amazed, as Prot's calculations explain previously unexplained irregular orbits within Lycra. Or something like that. Wow, how could a mere madman know all this? Prot further enhances his credibility by having a healing effect on his fellow patients, who look to him for wisdom and advice. Surely, he seems a bit more than just another psychotic. He can even talk to dogs, as he does in a trip to Dr. Powell's house on the Fourth of July. Alas, the second half of the film seems to refute the first half, as Dr. Powell digs into Prot's psyche through regressive hypnosis and finds repressed trauma. He begins to piece together a story of human tragedy that seemingly undermines Prot's true nature as anything but a psychological coping mechanism. Dr. Powell has to work fast, as Prot has declared that July 27th is the date he must return to K-PAX. With July 27th drawing closer, we (the audience) hope that Prot's true nature and purpose on Earth will finally be explained. But was it? The ending is ambiguous and open to interpretation. The film certainly had an interesting angle to it, but I felt it lacked a certain passion. It often induced mild laughter, but never tears. And what is the final message of the film? Appreciate your life and don't take it for granted? Without strong emotion, the message, whatever it was, is a bit weak and a little disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: k-pax the movie
Review: Wow, what a wonderful film explorloring the power and limits (or fragility) of the human mind. I laughed, cried, was intrigued and was amazed and entertained by the ability of the author and actors, as well as the production team (lead by the director) of this fantastic film. Each time I see K-PAX, I see something new - may it always be this way! Since 5 stars is clearly "the best", I hasten to give it a rating of 5, but in my "humble" opinion, I rate it as one the most enjoyable films that I've seen (be that what it may).
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Beautiful!
Review: I fail to understand why a lot of people dislike this movie. From the beginning scene I was captivated and never moved out of my seat till the end, and it still had me thinking until the next day. I admit, it does seem a little confusing and leaves a few strings loose in the end, but that seems to add to the brilliance of this movie. If you loved movies like Phenomenon, Michael, City of Angels, Starman, etc I highly recommend this. Absolutely beautiful!
Rating:
Summary: A Unique and Delightful Film
Review: If you've read any of my other reviews, you know that Kevin Spacey (Usual Suspects, American Beauty) is my favorite actor in the world. And I must say that Jeff Bridges (the Fisher King, the Big Lebowski) is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. These two heavyweights are brilliant in this fantastic tale about Prot (Spacey), a highly advanced visitor from a neighboring star system. At least that is what he appears to be for most of the film... advanced enough to travel on a beam of light, to know the precise mathematical equations to describe the orbit of his planet, and to make significant progress helping his fellow mental patients, and his psychiatrist (Bridges) in a very short time. But what happens when Bridges begins to learn more and more about Prot's past ?
As soon as I saw K-PAX, I knew it was a must-own for my collection. The hard part was deciding whether to classify it under science fiction or drama. Although I decided on sci-fi, it's really more of a touching human drama, with warmth and caring, and just enough humor to make repeat viewing a joy.
Anyone who says the plot is weak is really missing the point. If you believe in the possibility of advanced extraterrestrial life, then the plot of this film is not weak or far fetched at all. Many of the ideas are quite unique and insightful, and this film is one of the most uplifting in my DVD collection. All it takes is a little imagination !
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