Simply A Masterpiece

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

K-Pax is a planet 1,000 light years away and it is where prot (Kevin Spacey) insists he is from. He is admitted to the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan where Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) examines him. He finds a number of tests validate his claims rather than discredits them. prot can see ultraviolet light, few humans can. A commonly used medication for mental patients has no effect on him. All very interesting, but does it mean anything? Is prot from K-Pax or just another person who has slipped into the mental abyss? Fascinating story, there is very little in this film that will lead you to the answer until you are drawn in. Not a movie for younger children, adult themes.

I really liked this movie, much more since I had not read much about it nor heard from anyone who previously saw it. The story makes you feel connected with others in a "universal spirit" kind of way. It also makes you question the basic knowledge of WHO you are and what your greater purpose is here and beyond. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges have great on screen back-and-forth as the supposed alien traveler (Schizophrenic patient) "Prot" from the planet K-Pax and Doctor Mark Powell, his human psychiatrist. The doctor hopes to discover who Prot really is, all while taking queues from his patient in examining his own life and inner demons. This is a very moving, introspective experience, with Prot pointing out the many oddities in logic versus behavior of his human hosts. Prot further puts doubt in the minds of all who meet him, making even the doctor wonder if there's a chance he might be who he claims. The movie has flow and tells a different kind of alien visitor story. I think it's a diamond in the rough and would encourage anyone to watch it. 8 out of 10 from this reviewer.

This movie.. man.. it takes you away to another place altogether. I don't usually write reviews, but i had to write for this wonderful movie. It is unlikely that you will ever see a movie like this again. The beautiful way it displays emotions and humanity, with both the lead actors acting superbly, is the reason that even after watching the movie once, i keep finding myself watching it over and over again. Kevin Spacey is one of the best actors of this generation, so is Jeff Bridges. The soundtrack is so immensely beautiful, that by solely listening to the music, you can find yourself transported to anywhere you like. It will change your outlook of life. Its underrated, sure, but as i said.. No words to express what this movie is.

K-Pax (2001): Dir: Iain Softley / Cast: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack, Alfre Woodard, David Patrick Kelly: Kevin Spacey plays Prot who claims to be from the planet K-Pax. Title sounds more like a battery charger than a planet. Anyway, Prot is arrested at the airport when a misunderstanding occurs. Jeff Bridges plays a psychiatrist who is bewildered at Prot's unique style of thinking. Prot really believes who he is and at one point Bridges arranges a meeting with his brother-in-law who is into astronomy. Prot overwhelms them with information that he considers common knowledge on K-Pax. Eventually hypnosis is suggested where crucial information surfaces. Interesting idea lacks payoff and renders to absurdity and an ending that leaves loose ends. Directed by Iain Softley who made the much more absorbing The Wings of the Dove. Despite his best efforts, this film cannot master up a serious note and becomes a joke. Spacey with Bridges are fine actors who cannot save this film. Spacey's psycho babble is laughable at best and the overall mystery is never solved. Bridges is also reduced to a standard straight forward role. His patients are seen merely as fillers. Mary McCormack is flat as Bridges's wife. Routine and often frustrating mind screw that uses its subject matter as a ploy to jerk us around. It is very manipulating in that it answers nothing. Score: 2 / 10