The film gets its title from a line mid-way when D'Onofrio's character tells Tomei's "it was a happy accident that I spotted you in the park that day." However, when we piece everything together, maybe it wasn't an accident at all, maybe he knew exactly where she would be that day. You see, he claims to be from the year 2470, Iowa on the Atlantic coast, where they have learned the art of "back traveling".
some SPOILERS -- Like "K-Pax" the viewer has to decide whether the main character actually was what he claimed to be, or just crazy. As the events unfold most of us decide that he really is a back traveler, for several reasons. First, he appears to know that she will die on a certain day, at a certain intersection in NYC, run over by a taxi driver. Second, he meets up with someone he claims he recognizes from 2469, who must have back traveled a year earlier. And third, it appears near the end of the film that Tomei's shrink is also a back traveler.
more SPOILERS - A side-effect of back traveling almost 500 years is that you have some residual oscillations which occasionally make things continue go backwards for short periods. The film actually begins with people and traffic in the street moving in reverse, then forward, as he watches from a window. Later, he gets nauseated during a dinner with her parents when he is watching food come out of the mother's mouth, re-assemble itself on the fork, then move onto her plate, not yet eaten. This ultimately works to his advantage when, in spite of his warnings, she leaves the apartment and is about to cross the street at the fatal intersection. He gets there and, as the speeding car is about 6 inches from mowing her down, he is able to back travel for a few seconds, just long enough to clear the path and save her.
D'Onofrio and Tomei are two of my very favorite actors and both are fine in this film. The story is captivating and very believable, within the context of a science fiction film. One of the better ones I have seen lately, a good break from the great mediocrity of films put out in recent years. Highly recommended to anyone who likes a good story.
Edit, May 2010: Just watched it again with Natalie and Andy, after alligator for dinner, and the movie is just as enjoyable. Funny, too.
Edit, February 2015: Just watched it again with my wife, on the eve of our 23rd wedding anniversary. It still has the charm of watching it for the first time.
some SPOILERS -- Like "K-Pax" the viewer has to decide whether the main character actually was what he claimed to be, or just crazy. As the events unfold most of us decide that he really is a back traveler, for several reasons. First, he appears to know that she will die on a certain day, at a certain intersection in NYC, run over by a taxi driver. Second, he meets up with someone he claims he recognizes from 2469, who must have back traveled a year earlier. And third, it appears near the end of the film that Tomei's shrink is also a back traveler.
more SPOILERS - A side-effect of back traveling almost 500 years is that you have some residual oscillations which occasionally make things continue go backwards for short periods. The film actually begins with people and traffic in the street moving in reverse, then forward, as he watches from a window. Later, he gets nauseated during a dinner with her parents when he is watching food come out of the mother's mouth, re-assemble itself on the fork, then move onto her plate, not yet eaten. This ultimately works to his advantage when, in spite of his warnings, she leaves the apartment and is about to cross the street at the fatal intersection. He gets there and, as the speeding car is about 6 inches from mowing her down, he is able to back travel for a few seconds, just long enough to clear the path and save her.
D'Onofrio and Tomei are two of my very favorite actors and both are fine in this film. The story is captivating and very believable, within the context of a science fiction film. One of the better ones I have seen lately, a good break from the great mediocrity of films put out in recent years. Highly recommended to anyone who likes a good story.
Edit, May 2010: Just watched it again with Natalie and Andy, after alligator for dinner, and the movie is just as enjoyable. Funny, too.
Edit, February 2015: Just watched it again with my wife, on the eve of our 23rd wedding anniversary. It still has the charm of watching it for the first time.