Flicks-a-saurus Rex

K-Pax

Director: Ian Softley

Starring: Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for a sequence of violent images, and brief language and sensuality.

A visually interesting movie, with a plot and actors to match, K-Pax is a fell constructed film that earns a good 7.8 out of 10. This is one of those movies that keeps you guessing throughout, and ends with some questions still unresolved, is it a surprise ending with a wicked twist, or is the twist false, and the movie is in fact exactly as we perceive it. This question makes the movie in its self worth watching.




Kevin Spacey is Prot (pronounced Prote), a man who seems to materialize out of light in the opening credits and is almost instantly sent to a mental hospital because he claims to come from a distant planet. Jeff Bridges is the ever skeptical workaholic doctor in charge of the hospital, and he takes Prot on as a personal project. Both actors are very interesting on the screen. Spacey is comical and very intelligent, almost an idiot savant, but so honest and witty that we keep changing our minds about Prot and his origins. Bridges keeps us guessing too as he examines and Prot, and probes into the corners of his mind searching for the answer. The two actors play off of each other very well, and these two men are a perfect team up for dry humor and the touching friendship they develop.



My only beef with the film comes in the mystic hypnosis sessions Bridges’ character conducts to get to the true root of Prot’s psychosis. As far as I know, from Intro to Psychology, hypnosis and regression therapy are two forms of treatment not practiced by most doctors, and in fact myths from old spy movies and bad melodramas, and their use in this film is not well incorporated and makes for some cheesy scenes.

Getting past the cheese isn’t too hard though, and I recommend the movie to anyone who wants a good drama with a possible Sci-Fi twist. Though I can’t give away the ending or any good scenes, so I’ll say “possible” because you never know what may happen.



The different directions the film goes in are fun. We meet the family of our ever working doctor, and he learns their importance as the film progresses. We also meet many quirky mental patients and see them change to with the help of Prot. Throughout the movie creative filming adds emphasis to the mood of the story and different angles and lighting techniques enrich the visual aspects.
Overall K-Pax is an above average movie that will bring smiles to the audience’s faces. It is heartwarming and fun to watch. It gets a little hoakey as I said before but the acting makes up for any defects there. Anyone looking for a deeper drama check out K-Pax, you won’t be disappointed.

Sex/Nudity3 out of 10 – A couple are awakened in the middle of the night, they appear to be nude but we can only see dark shadows and the top of her breasts. A man talks about painful sexual intercourse on another planet.

Violence/ Gore 6 out of 10– We see shots of a rape and homicide through a man’s imagination. A man breaks another man’s neck in a fight. We see splattered blood on a wall and hear about a woman and daughter being raped and killed. We see the woman’s body briefly.

Profanity – 5 out of 10 – 1 “f” word and a smattering of other profanities and religious exclamations.