Bounce
2000 · 1h 47m · Drama, Romance
Skip it. 'Bounce' is a heavy-handed melodrama that mistakes guilt for character development and tries to manufacture emotional stakes through a premise that's fundamentally uncomfortable. The whole 'surviving the crash that killed a stranger to pursue his widow' angle is manipulative rather than moving, and this film never transcends its own bad taste to justify its setup.
Plot
Buddy Amaral, a successful and self-absorbed Los Angeles advertising executive, switches airline tickets with a stranger just before boarding a long-delayed flight so that he might enjoy an overnight fling with a pretty Dallas businesswoman. When the plane goes down, killing all aboard, Buddy's guilt soon turns into an alcohol problem. As part of his 12-step program, Buddy seeks atonement and decides to seek out the woman he thinks he's left a widow.
Director: Don Roos
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natasha Henstridge, Tony Goldwyn, Johnny Galecki