Forces of Nature (1999)

Strong and Moving!

Perfect cast and a good story

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A soon-to-be-married man encounters an exciting stranger after his plane suffers an accident on takeoff. Forces of Nature is not a masterpiece or a terrific film but i gotta say it was way better the 2nd time around that i saw it it's actually a good romantic film and the 2 main stars Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock have a great chemistry together. There are a few good laughs here and there and the ending is kinda unexpected when you think about it for both Ben and Sarah. Now the film does have issues tho like it's pacing and some jokes don't quite laugh also the characters do some pretty weird stuff threw out their journey but overall it's an okay romantic film with 2 really good actors and a good supporting cast. (6.3/10)

(Sorry for the double-entendre). This is my favorite Ben Affleck movie (though he may have done a better acting job in Bounce) and it is my favorite Sandra Bullock movie, although she was great in The Net. From start to finish, this is one of the freshest, most sincere, exciting, approachable and lighthearted romance films I have ever seen. The relationship between the two is never quite defined, and the dialogue and actions from almost everyone in the film puts all those relationships under scrutiny.It does this in a considerate, intelligent way, though, and at the end, I was left with an appreciation of both new experiences and the social structure I depend on and will continue to.The end was brilliant, and the scene on top of the train (and when she is beckoning Ben to come up there), is one of my favorite of all time. Written from the ground up with a great deal of respect for the human condition, Forces of Nature is a classic.

Plenty of spoilers, be warned! But I was really annoyed with this movie. that said, Sandra Bullock was as always splendid. But ultimately, wasted.I give this 4 stars solely for Bullock's fine acting as always. She's always worth watching, but pity about the script and the lead male actor.Well I don't have to "like" the sickeningly annoying ending just because some think it's "brave" etc. Of course it depends what you like and when I read an ending is "brave" I immediately suspect that means I won't like it at all. And I didn't. On the other hand...... someone else may feel it was the right ending. After all the guy was supposed to be getting married, and after behaving like a jerk, he finally does.Once you see the ending, you realise what an annoying twerp the hero Affleck plays actually is. My extreme disappointment turned to "Serves the pair of them right, him and his wife-to-be right, she'll regret that marriage." Fortunately I didn't much like the fiancée and I didn't think much of the hero either. He definitely led Bullock's character on, he was weak, and you can see this recurring later in his life with other women, especially if they are predatory which Bullock's character is not. She was far better without him so in that respect the ending is the right one, but the way it's achieved, and Bullock's resigned acceptance, these are so annoying.I imagine the "point" of the story was that the hero would waver but end up still true to his girl. This could have worked if he and his girl had been interesting and moving characters and Bullock had lost patience with him and told him to do the right thing and go back to her. But no, Bullock's character had to be humiliated.So I felt very let down because Bullock was led on by this guy and then he changed his mind and dumped her and she grieves over this jerk. One can imagine him doing the same to his wife in some later year and assuring himself it's not his fault.... I see a weak-minded serial adulterer there. Which is partly due to the actor's portrayal of the character, of course. It could have been so different if the actor had been better at his job.So as in some others of Bullock's movies, the leading male actor is a disappointment and the story isn't as good as it could have been. This could still have ended as it did without leaving a very sour taste in the mouth or having to call the ending "brave" to perhaps avoid having to say "urk".

I take on board all the criticisms cited here about this film and I accept that most of them are justified, but I have to say that I had an enjoyable hour watching it (missed the first 20 minutes... cooking my tea). Yes, it is clichéd, the plot has been done many times before, the script is often disjointed and has more holes than a Swiss cheese, the characters are left half painted, the actors are playing to type (though that never hurt Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, etc., etc) and elements of the story seem to be largely superfluous (the most egregious example being the climactic hurricane); but it is a romantic comedy... and I found it both romantic and gently funny in places. The weaknesses in the script and the editing can't be laid at the casts feet; and they perform really well. Sandra Bullock and Benn Affleck's romance isn't the most believable you'll come across, but they do work well together and have the chemistry needed to carry the heavily flawed plot. It also should be noted that very little in the story is believable; so much so that, at one point, Affleck and Bullock arrive at a bank where Ben Affleck is due to pick up some money that will enable them to get to Savannah, only to find the bank engulfed in flames. They turn to each other and laugh at the sheer improbability of it all; it's as if the characters are momentarily saying to the audience, "yeah! we know that you know that it's all so fantastical and contrived... so don't worry, it's meant to be". Lazy script writing or a foray into the realm of magical realism? The former I suspect, but the film obviously set out to have a fairy tale quality about it, and it has enough charm, wit and warmth to compensate for the holes in the script. Sadly many of the comical shoots do seem to inexplicably wither before they get a chance to bear fruit, but the comedy is without exception well-played by the cast. It just needed tighter scripting.I can't believe it has such a poor rating on IMDb - it has many faults, but I was contented to spend an hour-and-a-half watching Sandra Bullock looking lovely and being charming and witty on screen. Compared to so much of the exploitative, clichéd, adolescent, emotionally empty, fantasy violence out there that gets higher ratings, 'Forces of Nature' is Palm D'Or material... maybe it's rather naff title hasn't helped it...