Forces of Nature | The King and I | Ravenous | True Crime

In case you miss the message, screenwriter Marc Lawrence throws a hurricane at Georgia in the third act of Forces of Nature, starring Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck. Bullock's character, Sarah, is the real force of nature in the film, though, blowing through Ben Holmes' (Affleck) life with such force that she knocks him completely off-course.

Something Wild meets Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Holmes, traveling from New York to Savannah to marry Bridget (Maura Tierney), is thrown together with Sarah, headed for Savannah to sell her bagel shop and give the money to her ten-year-old son. Folowing formula, he's the button-down corporate lackey and she's the free spirit, and of course they make a connection through their various adventures with a crashing airplane, a drug bust, a wayward train, a condo tour by bus, and a strip tease bar. The trouble is, these situations feel like a string of isolated events in search of a story. At one point, Affleck tells Bullock, "You make everyone fall in love with you." In fact, there isn't one thing she does that enraptures another character on-screen, much less the audience. A dance scene at a cheap motel hints at her appeal -- she's fun and she's pretty, but she's not engaging. Affleck is bland. Their best scene together is his strip tease at a gay bar -- both characters are playful and vivacious, though the scene feels forced.

Thankfully, the ending deviates from the expected path, but it still avoids dealing with anything important.

RATING: **