K-PAX (2001)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writers (WGA):

Gene Brewer (novel)
Charles Leavitt (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Is he crazy?...or is he light years ahead of us?

Plot:

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations. |

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Hospital | Thorazine | 1980s | Vegetarian

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Kevin Spacey	...	Prot
Jeff Bridges	...	Dr. Mark Powell
Mary McCormack	...	Rachel Powell
Alfre Woodard	...	Dr. Claudia Villars
David Patrick Kelly	...	Howie
Saul Williams	...	Ernie
Peter Gerety	...	Sal
Celia Weston	...	Doris Archer
Ajay Naidu	...	Dr. Chakraborty
Tracy Vilar	...	Maria
Melanee Murray	...	Bess
John Toles-Bey	...	Russell
Kimberly Scott	...	Joyce Trexler
Conchata Ferrell	...	Betty McAllister
Vincent Laresca	...	Navarro

Also Known As:

K-PAX - Alles ist möglich (Germany)
K-PAX - L'homme qui vient de loin (Canada: French title) (France) (Switzerland: French title) [fr]
K-PAX (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
K-PAX (Finland) [fi]
K-PAX (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
K-PAX - Alles ist möglich (Austria) [de]
K-Pax (Croatia) (DVD title) [hr]
K-Pax (Greece) [el]
K-Pax - A belsö bolygó (Hungary) [hu]
K-Pax - O Caminho da Luz (Brazil) [pt]
K-Pax, el visitante (Spain) [es]
K-Pax: Un universo aparte (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38462) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Arvin, California, USA

Company:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG

Trivia:

The shades worn by Kevin Spacey were actually borrowed from U2's Bono who insisted that they be returned after the movie wrapped.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the opening scene Prot is arrested in Grand Central Station. In the next scene when the cops are escorting him to their van, they are walking along Park Avenue towards (not away from) Grand Central Station.

Quotes:

Prot: [after "talking" to the dog] She says she doesn't like it when you hide her favorite tennis shoe, and she doesn't hear so well on her left side, so don't sneak up on her anymore.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hostage (2005/I)

Soundtrack:

Rocket Man

very sweet

I'm a fan of Jeff Bridges so I snapped this up on DVD without having seen it previously. I instantly became a fan of Kevin Spacey, also.

The general plot of "alien in human body" has, in my experience, been done to death, but I liked the approach taken in K-PAX, which struck me as quite different and much more sensitive than most. Bridges makes an excellent doctor (you *want* to tell him what's on your mind) and Spacey's expressions and gestures are perfect in the role.

The interaction between Prot and the entirely human characters in the clinic is delightful, particularly the subtle manipulation of their behaviour.

The ending is bittersweet - I like Prot's choice, but the final scenes (with Bridges) made me teary.