K-PAX

Movie Title: K-PAX
Official Website (it might still work): K-PAX
Rating (out of 10): 9
Reviewed By: Michael Stevens
Buy the: Video/DVD \| Soundtrack
The Review:

Aliens? That is the question. The answer remains unknown. Not that any movie could actually prove that there are aliens out there since moviemakers can make up whatever they want. However, aliens aren’t really the issue when it comes to K-PAX, or is it?

K-PAX starts at a train station in good old New York City where this guy with sunglasses seems to appear out of nowhere. He tries to help up this lady that had just had her purse stolen, at which point the police come along. He isn’t in trouble for the purse issue, but he doesn’t sound mentally fit to the cops so they have him hauled off to the loony bin for evaluation. About a month later this person, he calls himself prot, is transferred to the Manhattan Psychiatric Institute where Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges of The Contender) is supposed to find out what is wrong with him and why medication hasn’t affected him. This prot person (Kevin Spacey from Pay It Forward) claims to be from a planet called K-PAX and is just visiting. He travels around the universe at speeds faster than the speed of light, while riding light beams. Prot also has an extensive knowledge of astronomy, including some knowledge that leading astronomers hadn’t figured out. He is very convincing to Dr. Powell, and to the other patients at the institute. Prot also begins helping these mentally ill people, and even attempts to help Dr. Powell who has family issues. However, throughout the film we are dropped hints that he must be an alien (see above), but then towards the end we learn new evidence through hypnosis that prot may not be whom he says he is.

K-PAX was adapted to the big screen from a Gene Brewer novel by Charles Leavitt. The film is beautifully directed by Iain Softley, who also directed Hackers and several other films. Spacey and Bridges put in great performances opposite each other as they feed off of each other. Other actors of note in the film are Mary McCormack (True Crime), Vincent Laresca, Peter Gerety (The Legend of Bagger Vance), David Patrick Kelly, Ajay Naidu, and Kimberly Scott to name a few.

The best parts of the film are the scenes that show the interactions between Spacey’s character and the other patients, which is where the lessons are learned. The only downsides to the film are that there are very few laughs, and in the end, you don’t really know (you’ll have to watch the movie to figure out what I mean). As to the vaunted About-Movies.com rating, K-PAX receives nine couches out of ten. Bye.

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Last updated: Saturday, October 28, 2006 05:37:38 PM

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