Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile overall.
Review: This movie is overacted at times, but luckily not enough to kill it. When "Buddy" (Ben Affleck) trades his ticket with family man "Greg" (Tony Goldwyn) in order to have a fling with a fellow passenger (Natasha Henstridge), he is stricken with guilt when the plane crashes, realizing that it could have/should have been him on that plane. He goes on a drinking/self-pity binge until he's verbally smacked around by his been-there-done-that gay assistant (Johnny Galecki). He decides to track down Greg's widow "Abby" (Gwyneth Paltrow) who happens to be a real estate agent, and give her the job of selling his company a building (for which she makes a huge commission). Their business association quickly turns into friendship, then romance. Buddy is scared to death of falling in love with Abby and plays the usual "when she calls tell her I'm not in" games until his assistant steps in to stop him from missing out on something great. It seems as though Buddy subconciously realizes the best way he can "make up" for giving Greg a ticket on a doomed flight is to love the wife and children Greg left behind, and that's exactly what he does, but it's totally genuine. He steps right into their lives and fills a gap, and they fill a gap for him as well. All in all I thought it was a sweet movie.
Rating:
Summary: chick flick girls!
Review: I saw this with the thought in my mind "Stinko"! But I actually really enjoyed it. It had good acting and a great cast. I am thinking about adding it to my collection!
Rating: 
Summary: Partnership in fate
Review: Bought this movie and when it started playing, my first thought was "what a slow movie, so boring!". For its credit, I saw it twice in a row, repeating several times certain particular parts of it. And found out a beautiful message hidden in it. Simple things of life like fate, destiny and our personal attitude when confronting them. Living life in the fast lane, just to find out what a waste it could lead to. "A last call of the day". How important it is to have someone who makes you a last call of the day, someone to whom you can say "good night". This movie for sure is not for the critics' delight. Those who didn't like this movie most probably never missed these "last calls" or "good nights" and have no idea how life is not having them. This movie is not to be seen lightly, there is a lot of thinking that needs to be done on the hidden message it contains. Partnership in fate; sharing destinies; a day-by-day struggle to survive but ultimately caring one another: that's real Life this movie tries shyly to show. And I loved it!
Rating: 
Summary: Thud!
Review: All the ingredients are there....likable stars,a engaging script, and a compelling story. It all falls flat. The storyline, a man seeking redemption for an act he feels he committed, trying to mend the lives destroyed, and trying to find meaning in his own life. It also is the story of a young mother trying to keep a family together following her husband's death. Somehow, you get the feeling Affleck and Paltrow are sleepwalking through the whole thing(when you think of Afflecks's SNL spoof of the MTV show, Fanatic as a higher point then this movie, you know you're in trouble). Bright spots are David Galecki as Afflecks's post trauma assistant, very dry, very acerbic, and seeing Tony Goldwyn in a good guy role(although, I kept expecting him to do something evil). Very disconcerting, Jennifer Grey, post nose job, you know you know her from somewhere...... No Bounce, just a thud.
Rating:
Summary: Affleck Finally Delivers Post "Good Will Hunting"
Review: I did not expect to like this movie. The biggest reason is that I've only seen Ben Affleck in one movie where I liked his acting, "Good Will Hunting." He surprised me in this movie by doing a very good acting job and holding his own with Gwyneth Paltrow, his romantic lead. The gist of the story is easy to follow. Affleck plays Buddy Amaral, a successful ad executive with substance abuse and commitment problems to anything but getting ahead. He gives his airline ticket to another passenger when he sees the opportunity to have a one night stand by staying on the ground in Chicago where a snow storm is ongoing. The plane crashes and the other guy dies instead of Buddy. Unable to handle the guilt from this situation, he eventually seeks out the dead man's widow and starts to help her in business without telling her who he is. The romantic complications flow from this basic setup. Affleck and Paltrow are very good as a couple together, which maybe was helped by their being a real life couple for a time during and after the movie. The costuming, makeup and hair designers must have knocked themselves out trying to make Paltrow as plain as possible. I almost didn't recognize her when she came onscreen. I think her plainness was a bit overdone. Hubby even liked this movie despite his usually avoiding this type of movie. He even went so far as to say he thought Affleck was terrific. I'm not willing to go quite that far but, all in all, it is very good.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I really don't understand why some people dislike this movie, it's sweet, interesting, and has a great message. Gwyneth Paltrow shines (as usual) and Ben Affleck matches her. See this movie, you won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Tale with a twist...
Review: A pretty good DVD overall, good story , great actors, well made, what more can u ask? well, sometimes you get without asking, and a 2 DVD Set is what you get. My reviews are mainly concerned with the disc not the story, i let everyone else do that bit. So, disc 1, the video transfer is as usual a very nice clean effort from Beauna Vista/Miramax, presented in Anamorphic Widescreen at 1.85:1, the original theatre format.Sound is good and clear, a mainly dialogue driven film , but a few surround moments in airports etc help to fill where required.Audio commentary with Don Roos(Director)&Bob Cohen(Prod), kinda dry and lifeless, technical aspects as well as acting choices, and basic plot structure are the focus. Disc 2...OK..now u get 8 scenes from the movie with commentary by Ben,Gwen & Don, this is more entertaining thanks to Bens sense of humour.Gag reel(5.30mins) standard fluffed lines etc,Deleted scenes (14)totaling 45 mins with or without Comm, presented in original form non anamorphic, most dumped during extensive test audience reviews, some would have changed the ultimate feel of the film. 2 features, one a Making of..type doco(22mins) one a more relaxed behind the scenes with Ben & Gwen(22mins). Standard Trailer and a music video. A pretty good damned Special Edition package for a movie that did "so so" at the box office.Id recommend if you loved or even liked you wont be dissapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: I was forced into watching this one.
Review: I wanted to see a Schwarzenegger movie but I always take my girlfriend to see action movies so I figured I'd be nice and take her to this one. Big Mistake. We both hated it but at least it provided some nap time.
Rating:
Summary: Bounce falls flat
Review: Chalk up some of my disappointment to thinking this movie might have a healthy dose of lighthearted humor and romance and a sense of playfulness about the rematching of this former real life pairing. Still Bounce simply was dull and I am kind of stunned that this film failed to piece together an engaging bond. All the tension in the story rests on Ben Afflecks character looking for the right moment to reveal his secret. Part of the problem is its not even a very good secret. Neither is the secret a deal breaker so the waiting for the shoe to drop loses most all of its interest after the first hour and twenty minutes. This delay has the cumulative effect of making Affleck seem increasingly unworthy of Gwyneth Paltrow's sweet vulnerable character that you sort of wish he would realize he isn't good enough to be with her and go home. Eventually I was worn out and simply wanted him to get it over with so the movie would end. The film reminds me of a Reds Dodgers game I attended. There was no score til the bottom of the ninth inning, two men out two strikes, two balls and one man who walked to first base. Finally the reds make a hit! The first baseman makes it home, the batter was tagged out and the game suddenly ended. Bounce is a little like that. Too little payoff after a very long wait for something to happen. I am even being generous because the game was really exciting at that last moment. Bounce was merely predictable. Its really a shame because when you have two well matched slices of tasty bread, all you need is a little filler in the middle to make a really good sandwich. If you want to see a pairing of Ben Affleck and Gwyneth, your time would be better spent picking up a copy of Shakespeare in Love, even if you have already seen it.
Rating:
Summary: Miscast Melodrama
Review: Poor, poor Ben and Gwyneth - was this ever the WRONG project for both of them. Don't get me wrong, "Bounce" can be entertaining at times, especially for people who are suckers for romantic flicks with a hint of sadness (e.g. "Message In A Bottle" style). For all its beautiful faces and feel-good romance, "Bounce" is incredibly flawed and collectively marks a low point on both Affleck's and Paltrow's career. The nucleic flaw of this film is its malnourished plot. The sob story begins with a guy named Buddy Amaral (Affleck), a pompous advertising exec with a penchant for mid-day doses of hard liquor. His yen for the drink becomes worse one fateful day when, waiting for a delayed flight at the Chicago O'Hare airport, he hands off his plane ticket scheduled for an earlier escape to a poor schmoe named Greg Janello (Goldwyn). The fated aircraft crashes and the impact kills nearly all of its passengers, including Janello himself. Buddy is guilt-ridden and thinking himself responsible for Greg's ill-fated death, submits himself to a torturous alcohol binge. It isn't long before his addiction starts to hinder his fast-paced career and, after his problem becomes crudely apparent to his co-workers, he enters a local and well-reputed detox center. Fast forward a year later and we see that Buddy is being released from the clinic, now healthy as a horse. He goes home to start making calls asking forgiveness (part of his rehabilitation, those who are familiar with AA will know what this is) and decides to look up Greg's family. Finding his last known address, he makes a flight out to Greg's home and for the first time sees Greg's wife Abby (Paltrow) and their two sons. Apprehensive about revealing the reason for his arrival, Buddy nonchalantly introduces himself and observes how Abby has gotten along without her husband in the past year. As can be predicted, he soon falls in love with her and she with him, the pressure of revealing his secret continuing to build. Once the truth finally does come out (and not at his behest), we are left with the obvious questions, such as "Will she forgive him?" and "Will they stay together?" This is the typical romantic drama with the inevitable letdown, never answering any of these questions and giving us a cliffhanger ending which leaves room to speculate the unseen outcome. The script is another major flaw, smothering itself with far too much romanticism that it fails to deliver a solid message or theme. I was left rolling my eyes during many scenes because of the overindulgence in sentimentality. Ben Affleck is one of my favorite male actors nowadays, but I was disappointed with his finished product for this flick. This is not to say I didn't enjoy watching him at all - hell, I had fun just watching him smile that gorgeous smile and make dreamy eyes at his co-star. His character, however, is somewhat misconstrued and underdeveloped. He seems like a good guy but then again he's supposed to be a tortured soul. Affleck plays him as a light-hearted chum with a little too much on his mind when, in accordance with the script, there should've been calamitous emotion beneath Buddy's handsome exterior. Another thing that cannot be explained or ignored is this: in a particular scene where Buddy's character is bordering on tears, Ben's efforts look unbelievably forced and it's painful to watch this come from such a prominent leading man. Why? Paltrow is an excellent actress and portrays her character admirably, but her efforts seem wasted here. She often gives too much of herself to such a limited character, reaching a point where she begins to OVERACT. Maybe if her skillful melodrama had conveniently rubbed off on Affleck, their roles as Abby and Buddy might've been more balanced and appraisable. Aside from their lackluster performances, my foremost thought while watching Affleck was, "Take your clothes off!" Even when I got my wish, there wasn't much to see. The frame was so tight on Paltrow and Affleck's upper torsos (not to mention crude close-ups of their faces) that it lacked any excitement - there was no sexiness to their sex. In fact, their whole on-screen relationship was completely devoid of any sexual chemistry, even though Affleck and Paltrow dated exclusively while this movie was being made. It makes no sense and neither does the camerawork in this particular scene. What can I say? With a man as beautiful as Affleck, I'm very disappointed that I didn't get to see more of him! Maybe I should watch "Reindeer Games" instead... On the whole, "Bounce" is at first promising and then fails to deliver the goods. Fellow romantics, direct yourselves towards emotive fare such as "The Whole Wide World" (Renee Zellweger, Vincent D'Onofrio), "Mansfield Park" (Frances O'Connor, Alessandro Nivola, Jonny Lee Miller) and the late but great Bogart-Bergman classic "Casablanca".
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