Bounce

Say what you will about her snotty attitude, her taste in boyfriends, or that pink Academy Awards dress, Gwyneth Paltrow remains a wonderful actress -- even in this wan melodrama, Random Hearts for the Dawson's Creek set, she shines. As Abby Janello, a harried mother of two whose husband was killed in a plane crash, Paltrow finds surprising grace notes in writer/director Don Roos's screenplay. A million times less challenging than his tart 1998 breakthrough The Opposite of Sex, Bounce sees Roos retreating to the cozy tone of his earlier efforts, empowerment weepies like Boys On the Side and Love Field.

As a storm threatens to shut down O'Hare, obnoxious ad executive Buddy Amaral (Ben Affleck, who else?) hands his plane ticket to a tweedy family man (Tony Goldwyn) so he can lay over with the gleaming beauty at the next barstool (Natasha Henstridge). When the plane crashes, a guilt-ridden Buddy feels he has to barge into the life of the unfortunate widow, a fledgling real-estate broker getting a start in strip malls, and try to throw some business her way. Appealingly fragile, Abby blossoms as she and Buddy fall in love. Only his dark secret and the smarmy smile Affleck just can't shake stand in the way of new beginnings for both of them. You don't need to be a flight engineer to figure out where Bounce will land. Watching Paltrow makes the trip a little less bumpy. At the Flagship, Harbour Mall, Holiday, Hoyts Providence Place 16, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.
-- Scott Heller