Forces of Nature (1999)

I firmly believe Ben Affleck is a gifted actor. But this is no Dogma, no Good Will Hunting...hell, even his role in 200 Cigarettes is more memorable. Ben proves the age old theory that the best actor in the world does not a good film make. Basically, the story is horrid. The script is horrid. Add that to the fact that I can't stand Sandra Bullock (scrawny and one-dimensional) and that makes an awful film. The upside? Maura Tierney's really cute and I really like Steve Zahn. That's about it. The story is absolutely ridiculous; why do writers feel the need to overdo and over-dramatize *everything*. Excessively melodramatic (the shining light through the hurricane onto Affleck and Tierny made me gag) and excessively unbelievable. I hate it when 'everything goes wrong' films don't leave any room for reality. Every five minutes some new mishap or disaster happened, and they were usually awkward and eye-rolling. And when a little bit of story actually started to take place, it was interrupted by yet another misadventure... And the film was *way* too loooooooong!! Nearly two hours of non-stop schlock. Could've chopped an easy 20 minutes off of it. Overall, I'd recommend a pass on this one. There are some really cheezy sentimental films out there that are still enjoyable despite any excess or melodrama. This isn't one of them. If it didn't have a decent cast or one or two mildly amusing scenes I'd rate it even lower, but as is: 4/10.

Fmovies: I think the song "Love the One You're With", which played prominently in "Forces of Nature", told the entire tale. Few Hollywood celebs take relationships and marriages seriously, and they seem to last only until the next casting comes along. I never saw a movie with so many negative remarks about marriage, and with Ben Affleck's romance record, he could have written the script all by himself. While the movie had its funny and "oh, not again" moments, there just seemed to be that underlying feeling that Ben's marriage may never happen and he has discovered that his buddies are right.."Why tie yourself down to one woman when there are so many others out there interested in you". Even when Ben decided that he'd better do the right thing and marry his fiancée, he just didn't seem to make the decision with all his convictions. It's definitely "art imitating life" when it comes to love commitments in Hollywood. As far as all the symbolism many people have written about here, it's just hard to take any of it seriously in this love farce of a movie. The only symbolism that I took to heart was Stephen Stills' song of free love. "So if you're down and confused (and just waiting for something to do") on commitment and marriage, and you think that Sandra Bullock is hot enough to break up a romance, then "Forces of nature" is the perfect movie for you.

This movie seems as if someone had a cute idea for a movie, thought of two or three funny possibilities, hired a good cast, then turned the whole thing over to a really bad screenwriter and even worse director. The director filmed a screwball romantic comedy as if it were a dark, artsy film---weird camera angles, blue filtered shots, lingering, close up looks at raindrops. Steve Zahn was good, as always. Ben Affleck was charming, sweet, almost shy; he was perfect for a romantic comedy. Sandra Bullock struggled along valiantly with a character who was supposed to be zany, but whose wackiness consisted of things like madly kissing a husband she hated, abandoning her child, going on carnival rides, offering to strip for money, and bumming a ride with a fellow airline passenger. The script had very few funny lines; there was no physical comedy; it was boring. It introduced potentially funny situations, then cut them off before they could develop. To top it all off, the "twist" at the end was a slap in the face to anyone expecting a fun romantic comedy. If you saw the trailer for the movie and liked it, as I did, my advice is: don't go to the movie. It will only spoil a nice trailer.

Forces of Nature fmovies. "Forces Of Nature" got my attention from the start and didn't let up until the end. Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock star as airline passengers brought together by the forces of nature while Ben Affleck's character Ben Holmes is on his way to his wedding. Maura Tierney portrays his fiancée and she brought life to a character that was in the background. This is the perfect set up for "Forces Of Nature" because it seems when Ben and Sarah Lewis make progress; the forces of nature somehow get in the way.

Maybe it's a sign that Ben is with wrong lady or maybe it's a way to let Ben think about the future. As I was viewing this film, I thought to myself Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock must have had fun making this film because it seemed that every time they were on screen together they were enjoying each other's company. One disaster after another occurred but Ben and Sarah made the best out of the situation and did a pretty good job.

One outstanding performance came from the late David Strickland in his final film role. It was unfortunate to hear about Strickland's death because his role in this film showed the world that he can act well on the big screen. I was smiling every time he was on screen because I knew I would get something special from his performance.

"Forces of Nature" is a well-written film that I found to have a lot of heart and dealt with many issues. I suggest that everyone check out "Forces Of Nature" because any and all of the Ben Affleck or Sandra Bullock fans out there will enjoy the film.

last nyt i stayed up to watch a movie called forces of nature.. i read the info on my TV guide first. but instead of seeing it was yet another chick flick and just going to bed.. i stayed up and decided to give it a chance, and i am damn happy i did. ben affleck plays "ben" a man about to get married and is on his way to the ceremony that takes place in 2 days.. while on his trip he encounters numurous problems.. one of these problems is sandra bullock's character "sarah".. instead of sarah being the typical, clumsy yet lovable, gorgeous yet geeky female we see in too many chick flicks.. she turns out to be an amazing complex character that made me fall in love with the film and her. Ben also encounters many people who discourage marriage, and after the has met the most amazing girl i have ever seen on the screen, will he get married or wont he?..

Amazing cinematography, a superb story line, and brilliant dialogue between characters, creates one of the best films i have seen in a while.. and i strongly advise you to watch this movie whenever u can.. or at least stay up when u see it on TV

Leon Warner-Bradshaw (age 16 and male lol)

This is a review of the DVD version of "Forces of Nature".

My wife and I rented this movie because we like Sandra Bullock, especially, and also Ben Affleck. We didn't have high expectations, except to be entertained. And we found it very entertaining and not particularly predictable. Affleck, the prospective groom, has to make his way to Savanna in two days after a plane problem, complicated by an arriving hurricane. He meets up with the ditsy Bullock, and both of them learn quite a bit about themselves.

If you watch the special features on the DVD, Bullock explains how every one you meet, even short "chance" meetings, have some impact on you, and this is a large part of what the movie tries to convey. And it does it very well. There's good acting, lots of interesting "developments", and a very good story in total. I give it 7 of 10. It is a much better movie than I expected.

The DVD picture is very well done, and the sound track likewise, with appropriate use of the rear surround channels. My only complaint? Not enough bass rumble during the lightning and thunder scenes during the storms.

July 2010 update: Saw it again, a pretty entertaining movie with a good message.