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K-Pax scores points for the acting, for the originality of its ideas, and for being thought-provoking enough to confuse me thoroughly. It loses points on mushy sentimentalism and on being thought-provoking enough to confuse me thoroughly.
I'll start with the positives. Kevin Spacey, Kevin Spacey, and Kevin Spacey. Wow, this guy can act! If he's not up for a nomination of some sort for this role, I will be thoroughly surprised. He comes across as a convincing alien, schizophrenic, and grief-striken human being, all while remaining likeable. Certain scenes gave me the shivers. Jeff Bridges pulls off a solid performance as a dedicated doctor obsessed by this unusual case to the point of straining his family relationships, and really holds his own nicely next to Spacey. The strong acting in this movie is undeniably its best point.
Originality is also a big plus. Although it's based on a book series, and there are rumours it might be a ripoff of a different idea altogether, to me it was original enough to separate itself from the multitudes of alien movies already out there. K-Pax was really a simple story, but brought in physics, philosophy, psychology, and more angles than I could count. It was funny and heartwarming and truly different from most of the formulaic movies out there.
However, either I'm getting dumber or the movie forgot to explain certain things. I can't say too much more without giving away the ending, but there are some pretty serious plot holes in this thing, and the ending is likely to leave most people scratching their heads. Smiling, but scratching their heads.
If you ignore the inconsistencies, and the excessive focus on Mary McCormack's role as Jeff Bridges' wife, K-Pax is thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend it.
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