K-PAX

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack and Alfre Woodard
Director: Iain Softley
Running Time: 121 mins
Certificate: 12

After been picked up at Grand Central Station by the police, he is transferred from Belleview Hospital to the New York Psychiatric Institute. There he comes under the care of Dr. Mark Powell (Bridges). He is a claim, non-violent patient, who gets on with everyone and even has an effect on the well being of the other inhabitants of the ward but Dr Powell doesn't know how to treat him. You see he says his name is Prot (Spacey) and he comes from the planet K-Pax.

This is a whimsical movie that meanders along at a very slow pace until it's emotional and thought provoking ending.

Spacey seems to coast through the movie with only ten minutes of his true acting talent needed to pull off another good characterisation. Jeff Bridges however, is the real star and is as watchable as ever. He draws you into his journey of professional and self-discovery, as you wonder if Prot is who he actually says he is. The supporting cast is really underused on the other hand, with the underrated Mary McCormack playing nothing more than the neglected wife of the work obsessed doctor and Alfre Woodard only appearing when Dr Powel needs help or a telling off.

There is the usual crowd of quirky mental patients that seem to inhabit every psychiatric hospital in the movies and they add nothing new to the film. This isn't really about them though, it is about whether you can have faith in people, yourself and life and the movie succeeds, partially, in getting this point across.

This is another attempt at intelligent science fiction that does have you thinking all the way through, is he or isn't he and any film that does that is well worth watching.

NOT AVAILABLE

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