CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Tss5078 It is so good to finally see Geena Davis back on the big screen! Davis has always been one of my favorite actresses, showing a quick wit and a calm demeanor that has led to some tremendous films. In the new direct-to-video dramedy, Accidents Happen, she proves that she may have been on vacation for a while, but she hasn't lost a thing. In this film, Davis plays the mother of sixteen year old Billy Conway, (Harrison Gilbertson), who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The film starts with a childhood accident that destroys his family and really defines just who Billy is. After a chilling, but hilarious opening, the film jumps to a sixteen year old Billy and what's left of his family. His mother is crazy, his brother's a drunk, and his father just isn't around anymore, so it's up to Billy to deal with the trials and tribulations of a boy who is growing into a man. Davis is listed as the star and she has some amazingly funny lines, but the story is really centered around newcomer Harrison Gilbertson, who gives one the best performances by a teen actor that I've seen all year. Gilbertson very clearly shows us how Billy is seeming unaffected by what happens to him, he's strong, and seemingly ready to deal with anything, but on the inside, Billy is much different than he appears. The character was a deep one with many levels and Gilbertson takes us through them all with ease. I loved this film, because while it's dark and depressing at times, they also joke about these things that you're not supposed to joke about. Just when things seemingly become to much, that humor creeps back in and makes you love how wickedly fun this film is. If you want to see something different, that will have you going back and fourth between laughter and tears, then this is the film for you. I went into this film expecting nothing, just looking forward to seeing Geena Davis again and what I got instead was one of the best movies I've seen all year.

david-2829 Confusing movie that can't decide whether it wants to be a dark comedy or a serious and sad drama. This confusion seems to stem from the over-the-top bad luck of poor Billy Conway. I mean, how likely is it that a driver in a residential area has a fatal car wreck while swerving to avoid a bowling ball? Or somebody gets fatally burned (opening credits) while firing up the BBQ? Sure, accidents happen... but not like this.The acting is fairly good, with Gina Davis playing a dysfunctional mom who has a talent for creative word nastiness. Too bad the other members lacked her verbal flagrancy, if they talked at all. And some of the more interesting characters (the overly sorry girl at the wake... the addicted aunt) are left woefully unexplored.A few times I also thought it was going to turn towards a teen coming-of-age storyline, but those moments quickly passed in what must've been an attempt to show us that teenage Billy is going through normal stuff for his age? Overall a depressing movie that lacks any insight or specific message. It does show us a slice of dysfunctional family life, but we're never sure what the point is and why we're watching. Some good acting brings it up a notch or two, but can't save a poor script.

theacon For me the movie was great i liked it its simple and weird kinda... Me i like weird movies that does not mean anything particularity its just a story had to be told it has some irony which i like but in the end i enjoined watching it very much and from what i see they don't make a lot of movies such that one...Somehow it remind me of 11:14 About the acting its true it wasn't satisfying maybe because the actors were kids and new for this line of work but they weren't bad its can be accepted once you like the visual effects and the story line... finally that's just my opinion i don't know about you people...

moviebookchats Accidents Happen – Sydney Film Festival, June 2009 I was sold on this film by a description of Geena Davis who "shines as the screwball mother". The SFF program seemed to promise a screwball family comedy, with Davis' fearlessness in performance carrying the required bravado. So I was surprised when the opening sequence, a slow-motion shot of a playing child interrupted by an elderly neighbour accidentally barbecuing himself, suggested another tone was in the offing: a coming-of-age black comedy. That combination works well here.To labour the labeling a little, ladling on a portmanteau, ACCIDENTS HAPPEN is a 'dramedy'. It's a realistic story of an early 80s suburban family unit fractured by an auto accident. The emotional weight of their tragedy squeezes absurdity out of the cracks in their stasis. Gloria Conway (Davis) turns her rapid-fire wit to lashing her 'useless' ex-husband but that is clearly a losing game for her as she is not much more on top of her grief for their lost children than he is.The relationship between surviving but bereft younger son Billy and his ballsy mother is the meat of the film. They present a remarkably compelling take on an interdependent relationship. They made me really care that they would work it out, and a refreshing change from the common film stereotype of merely alienated teens.The film overall is a showcase of great characterization through screen writing and performances, not just from the poised teen-aged leads but also minor characters like the barbecue-induced widow Mrs Smolensky. She steps startlingly out of being a background character in the payoff scene at the film's end.That final sequence also left me backpedaling on conclusions I leapt to earlier about the film's symbolism. Up until that point, the crucial role of a bowling ball in the plot lent itself to symbolism of emotional baggage, a crushing burden to carry and destructively out of control when neglected. That ball's ultimate destination revealed over the end-credits indicates the authors either didn't have that in mind, or were pointing us to some other significance entirely. Comments here suggesting what that significance might be are very welcome.Originally posted at http://moviebookchats.posterous.com/movie-review-accidents-happen