Kevin Spacey is Prot, who states that he has come to visit the planet earth from a planet called K-PAX, about a 1000 light years away from earth. Jeff Bridges is a doctor trying to cure Mr. Spacey of his supposed delusion.
Mr. Softley builds an interesting premise that unfortunately derails into predictable hollywood subplots at times but manages to generate enough curosity to sustain our interest.
Mr. Spacey gets another chance to use his powerful smirk. His piercing look unfortunately remains hidden behind shades for the major part of the movie. His Prot shows distant amusement at the human element and our social structure. He is smart, very smart and may be an idiot savant. He knows enough about American cultural to be satirical and funny and yet there is clear evidence that he is crazy or from another planet. Unfortunately, his role in the mental hospital is utterly predictable and draws heavily from such classics as Awakenings or One flew over the cookoo's nest.
This is the kind of role that really is a cakewalk for Mr. Spacey. You can expect him to get another nomination for this role. However, you have to wonder why Mr. Spacey would want to do such a role.
Jeff Bridges is the conventional hollywood Doctor. He is a workolholic and naturally estranged from his wife and children. He is attracted toward Prot and wants to help him. It is clear why he is so attracted -- because Prot is very convincing and intriguing. Mr. Bridges doesn't really have to do anything extra-ordinary. He just moves along with the plot and doesn't really make a huge contribution.
This could have been a better movie had it not subscribed to the hollywood cliche of a doctor-patient movie. The doctor is helped more by the patient than the other way round. The whole mental hospital angle is kind of useless I think. A lot of emotional angles have been added mostly asan afterthought, polluting the intellectual quality of the movie.
On the bright side is the excellent cinematography. Very conscious and very telling. The use of light and shadows, specially the shadows of buildings and clouds in the glass windows of Manhattan skyscrapers is quite brilliant.
Mr. Softley builds an interesting premise that unfortunately derails into predictable hollywood subplots at times but manages to generate enough curosity to sustain our interest.
Mr. Spacey gets another chance to use his powerful smirk. His piercing look unfortunately remains hidden behind shades for the major part of the movie. His Prot shows distant amusement at the human element and our social structure. He is smart, very smart and may be an idiot savant. He knows enough about American cultural to be satirical and funny and yet there is clear evidence that he is crazy or from another planet. Unfortunately, his role in the mental hospital is utterly predictable and draws heavily from such classics as Awakenings or One flew over the cookoo's nest.
This is the kind of role that really is a cakewalk for Mr. Spacey. You can expect him to get another nomination for this role. However, you have to wonder why Mr. Spacey would want to do such a role.
Jeff Bridges is the conventional hollywood Doctor. He is a workolholic and naturally estranged from his wife and children. He is attracted toward Prot and wants to help him. It is clear why he is so attracted -- because Prot is very convincing and intriguing. Mr. Bridges doesn't really have to do anything extra-ordinary. He just moves along with the plot and doesn't really make a huge contribution.
This could have been a better movie had it not subscribed to the hollywood cliche of a doctor-patient movie. The doctor is helped more by the patient than the other way round. The whole mental hospital angle is kind of useless I think. A lot of emotional angles have been added mostly asan afterthought, polluting the intellectual quality of the movie.
On the bright side is the excellent cinematography. Very conscious and very telling. The use of light and shadows, specially the shadows of buildings and clouds in the glass windows of Manhattan skyscrapers is quite brilliant.