What I watched: Happy Accidents

First, I have to confess an irrational attraction to Vincent D'Onofrio. It isn't that I find him especially good looking -- at least not in any kind of conventional way. But when I see him on television, I can't take my eyes off him. Even on recent episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where D'Onofrio is looking a little bloated and worn, I still can't help watching. When he's not on that program -- when they have a Chris Noth storyline instead -- I don't watch. I don't care. Of course, there's something especially intriguing about D'Onofrio's Detective Robert Goran. The character is fun to watch. He's a little nuts, and I love that.

Which leads to my recent viewing of Happy Accidents. This movie is an eight-year-old independent film starring D'Onofrio and Marisa Tomei (who I also find intriguing and beautiful). Sam (D'Onofrio) and Ruby (Tomei) meet at the park and begin a whirlwind romance. Everything seems perfect until Sam starts displaying some strange quirks. He's especially afraid of small dogs. Why? They don't have them where he comes from. Which is where? Dubuque. Iowa. Except it turns out Sam doesn't mean "our" Dubuque. Sam believes he is from Dubuque in the year 2470. Ruby thinks Sam is just another in a long line of losers she's dated and tried to fix. But there's something about Sam that keeps her hanging in there.

This is a sweet little movie with some twists to it, including a pre-Dead Zone cameo from Anthony Michael Hall -- they refer to him as "that geeky kid" from Sixteen Candles. It's a perfect movie for a rainy afternoon. It's worth watching, if for nothing other than getting to look at D'Onofrio and Tomei for an hour and 50 minutes.