Rating: 
Summary: Sweet philosophical and character film
Review: Life is a series of accidents which are actually not accidents but actually part of a conscious design, a.k.a. "fate" or "destiny," and therefore just live in the moment, be open to whatever happens or doesn't happent but accept it all with serenity, and trust that it was all meant to happen.That's basically what "Happenstance" is all about---a thoroughly charming yet thoughtful film that probably won't find too many fans here in rah-rah, self-aggrandizing, self-deluded "yessiree, you can do anything you want with your life" pop-psychologized America. It is a subtle, suggestive and provocative little film, without any clear predictable closure or conflicts, and the characters though are all all quite original and authentic. Ms. Tatou is her usual irresistible and stunning self, but so are the rest of the cast, not a dull character in sight. What a breath of fresh air!
Rating:
Summary: A Small but Charming Film
Review: Like many who've been caught under the immaculate spell of the charming and talented French actress, Ms. Audrey Tautou of Amelie, I too have begun my own personal obsession of searching and exploring her other works. Happenstance is my second film after Amelie, and judging from other reviews, I was to expect a much smaller film in scope. And that basically what Happenstance is. It may not be as elaborate or artistic as Amelie, but it's a wonderfully fun film nontheless. It involves a number of varying characters and the actions they take throughout the movie have adverse effects on each other, which make for a cleverly fabricated plot that jumps you from character to character. The story itself, is not heavy or thick by any means mind you, but rather it allows the audience to follow these characters from different points of views and how the role of chance plays between these characters. And it's one of those movies where you can go back through it again and again and pick up important plot subtelties that you may have missed the first time through. Audrey Tautou may not have too much of a presense in the movie as some may have hoped for (that would include myself), but she does do a terrific job playing her part nontheless. With so many characters to take in, there was only so much time given to Audrey (and any character for that matter). Also, for people expecting to see the same starry eyed and cheerfully adorable Audrey from Amelie, will find Happenstance a joyous treat. She smiles a lot less in this movie than in Amelie but her charm is still as evident as ever. Again, it's a small film, and may appear very simple on the surface, but some who are willing to take a deeper look, will probably find its brilliantly crafted intricacies underneath. It might have been unfair to compare Happenstance with Amelie, but since the cover of the DVD shouts out loud "the star of Amelie," it was inevitable to measure the two. It may also be helpful to note that I did hold a much greater appreciation for the movie on my second time through, partly due because I had to watch the crummy VHS version, but mainly because I picked up more things that I hadn't before. Anyone that likes a good romantic comedy should definitely check this movie out if your interested at all, and if you're an Audrey fan, there's no reason why you shouldn't be watching this now. It's a fun and entertaining movie at heart that I definitely recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Charming
Review: Lovely, deft movie about the small acts of many unconnected people effecting others' lives. Very nicely drawn characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring. Boring.
Review: Maybe I was a bit tired. Maybe it was the hot humid day. Maybe it was this stupid cold I can't seem to kick in the middle of summer. Or, maybe, this movie really was as bad as I thought. I didn't care about the characters. The plots, all 17,462 of them, had no point. Not to mention, it looked like they handed the camera to a ten year old and had him pick out the shots. Just because it is low budget, and French, don't make it good. I'm off to rent Glitter.
Rating:
Summary: Deep Movie
Review: More of Audrey Tautou, however you won't see her much in this weird film. However this film's look at the theory of chaos is done in such a simple, beautiful way that it's amazing.
Rating:
Summary: What or should I say why?
Review: Not much happens for an hour and twenty minutes and then eventually nothing does. Annoyingly slow paced set of unrelated situations. They lead to a chance (re)meeting which we are left to imagine, what if anything, this meeting leads to.
Why anyone would make this mess is a mystery. It is of course dwarfed by the mystery of why anyone would sit through it and have anything good to say about it.
I would like my hour and a half back please.
Rating:
Summary: One small, solitary event...
Review: The film _Happenstance_ investigates how one small, seemingly meaningless event, can change the lives of many others. The script weaves a large web, with few degrees of seperation between the characters. There are no "main" characters in the film, because each story is so interlocked with the others. The French title of the film translates to "The Beating of the Butterfly's Wings", and it is unclear why they changed the title for the American release. The word "Happenstance" does not come up in any conversation in the movie, however a major scene in the movie discusses the butterfly's wings. Audrey Tautou's face is on the DVD cover, (not even a picture from this movie, I might add) and it is clear that the American marketing firms wanted to show off Tautou and use her recent fame to attract attention. While I think it is misleading to plaster her picture on the front when there are many other deserving actors in this movie, the marketing did work for me: I would not have found this movie had I not seen Audrey's face advertising it. A fun and rewarding film that is sure to leave a smile on your face.
Rating:
Summary: One small, solitary event...
Review: The film _Happenstance_ investigates how one small, seemingly meaningless event, can change the lives of many others. The script weaves a large web, with few degrees of seperation between the characters. There are no "main" characters in the film, because each story is so interlocked with the others. The French title of the film translates to "The Beating of the Butterfly's Wings", and it is unclear why they changed the title for the American release. The word "Happenstance" does not come up in any conversation in the movie, however a major scene in the movie discusses the butterfly's wings. Audrey Tautou's face is on the DVD cover, (not even a picture from this movie, I might add) and it is clear that the American marketing firms wanted to show off Tautou and use her recent fame to attract attention. While I think it is misleading to plaster her picture on the front when there are many other deserving actors in this movie, the marketing did work for me: I would not have found this movie had I not seen Audrey's face advertising it. A fun and rewarding film that is sure to leave a smile on your face.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfull premise, but lacking execution
Review: The idea of seemingly trivial actions being important is cute and a playfull idea, but not if the end result is boring. Other than some sharp dialogue the story is simply a "Rube Goldberg" vehicle to facilitate the preordained, and rather off putting, ending. Loose ends are left as such and the viewer is left wondering why any of the characters were introduced in the first place. If they didn't deserve to have their trials and tribulations resolved...then why were they there?!? Could have been, should have been, wasn't. Too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining, cute, with lots of potential
Review: There's art, mystery, love and more. It's just that you are caught up in so many stories at once and then at the end just one story is finished. There is a lot of development in the beginning of the movie, but at the end it seems to finish in a rush. The ideas are great and could be further developed, I think Amelie does that more. It's entertaining with some magic and charm, but doesn't quite make it. It's worth seeing once, but probably not buying
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