Brad Anderson's "Happy Accidents" is sort of a cinematic Frankenstein monster, pieced together from the remains of other movies. There's a touch of "K-PAX, " a bit of "Somewhere in Time," a smidgen of "Memento," and quite a lot of the classic short film "La Jete." Even with these derivative roots, however, "Happy Accidents" is told with enough cleverness to make it a diverting fantasy.
Marisa Tomei stars as Ruby Weaver, a New Yorker whose love life is one disaster after another. Her therapist (Holland Taylor) has labeled her co-dependent, meaning she latches on to the biggest losers she can find and tries to "help" them, which invariably leaves her single (and miserable) again in no time. One day, out of the blue, Ruby meets Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio), a likable guy who appears to be the real deal, despite some rather odd personality traits.
Ruby learns just how odd when he starts telling her that he's a time traveler from the year 2470, who has come back to meet her after falling in love with her picture in a curio shop. Or maybe not Sam's story changes so much, it's nearly impossible to keep track of it.
Most of the film consists of Ruby learning some new bit of weirdness about her lover, freaking out, then warily opting to continue the relationship despite her reservations. This becomes extremely repetitive, especially in the last half hour or so, but it does allow Anderson (who wrote, directed and edited) to reveal Sam's story a little at a time, teasing the audience with the notion that the mystery will soon be solved.
Even when the movie is over, questions still linger, but that's actually more fun than frustrating, thanks to Anderson's attention to unusual, revealing details. (Sam's constant sketching and fascination with plant life take on multiple meanings as the film goes on.) Anderson also joins his character in playing with the space-time continuum, freezing images, running the film backwards, and occasionally shifting events around. It's a good way to keep viewers just a little unbalanced, always working out where they are and what's really going on, and makes it easier to identify with Ruby, who is (understandably) perplexed most of the time.
Tomei is an excellent choice for the lead, balancing Ruby's flakiness with self-aware resilience she knows she has terrible instincts about men, and she struggles constantly to make better decisions. Unfortunately, like many romances, "Happy Accidents" takes the view that love of the passionate, act-now-think-later variety is the apex of the human experience, which actually validates the very behavior Ruby is trying to overcome. That message is delivered with an alarming lack of subtlety that makes it hard to ignore, especially when Ruby's mother gives her a speech that can best be described as pro-co-dependent.
The film's other big problem is the casting of D'Onofrio ("The Cell"), a normally versatile actor who, as it turns out, makes an extremely bland romantic lead. Sam's personality quirks are supposed to be charming, but thanks to D'Onofrio's overly laid-back style, they come across as alternately grating and creepy. The fact that Sam is enigmatic helps a little you never truly expect to get a handle on him but it's difficult to see why Ruby is willing to go to such great lengths for their relationship.
The flaws in "Happy Accidents" might be fatal for some movies, but Anderson is a truly gifted storyteller, who keeps the audience guessing and, therefore, interested throughout. He seems at least partially aware of his limitations, and finds ways to make up for them through sheer narrative audacity. Whatever he may be lacking in originality, subtlety or wise casting choices is easily forgotten as he leads viewers through his entertaining little maze.
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