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4 stars: 'K-PAX' heartwarming and magical By
Bryce Casselman Each year, Hollywood churns out half a dozen or so movies about aliens, most of them thrillers that deal with a hostile extra-terrestrial either trying to kill humans, use their bodies for hosts for their young, or take over their home-world, namely Earth. But every once in a while, Hollywood will roll the dice on a movie about non-human beings whose lives, for whatever reason, cross paths with the Earthlings and forever change the lives of those they come in contact with. The first and foremost example of this is Steven Spielberg's E.T., the movie that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of adults and children, including myself at age 9. Actor Jeff Bridges (The Contender, The Big Lebowski), has now been involved in two of these "nice-alien" movies, Starman and K-PAX, the latest movie by director Iain Softley (Hackers). In K-PAX, Kevin Spacey (Pay it Forward, American Beauty) plays Prot, an everyday-looking guy in sunglasses who claims to be from the planet K-PAX. Dr. Mark Powell, played by Bridges, is the psychologist assigned to the so-called K-Paxian. But, as Bridge's character gets deeper into Prot's case, he finds himself being unable to explain many of his patient's delusions. By halfway through the movie, Dr. Powell finds himself defending the would-be alien to his co-workers and often finding himself the one being analyzed. In the mental hospital, Spacey's character also begins to positively affect many of the other patients. Some of the best acting in this film can be found in the actors in the roles of these patients, played by David Patrick Kelley (Songcatcher), Saul Williams (King of the Korner), and Celia Weston (Hearts in Atlantis). But, hands-down, the best acting in the film was by Spacey. His movements, body posture, tone of voice, and presence all lend to the validity of the Prot character. During one of the funniest parts of this movie, Spacey devours an entire banana without removing the peel. Spacey also eats apples and strawberries with no regard to leaves, stems, seeds or anything else you typically send to the great refuse heap in the sky. The writing for this film is rich, drawing those watching the film into a complex emotional web of issues while keeping the dialogue light and the characters constantly second guessing themselves. One of the tools that Softley uses throughout this film is the use of light. Through camera shots, character development and the dialogue, he is able to connect the elements of this film in a way that something so everyday and ordinary as sunlight becomes unique, special and a little magical. K-PAX is unique in many ways that it presents a story about the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, but I give it Four Stars because of the way if found and touched the life inside of me.
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