K-PAX (film)

K-PAX
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Iain Softley
Written by	Gene Brewer Charles Leavitt
Produced by	Robert F. Colesberry Lawrence Gordon Lloyd Levin
Starring	Kevin Spacey Jeff Bridges Mary McCormack Alfre Woodard
Cinematography	John Mathieson
Edited by	Craig McKay
Music by	Edward Shearmur
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Universal Pictures IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG Mutual Film Company Lawrence Gordon Productions Summit Entertainment
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures (US/Australia) United International Pictures (International) Pathé and FilmFour (UK)
Release date	October 26, 2001 (2001-10-26)
Running time	120 minutes
Countries	United States Germany
Language	English
Budget	$48 million
Box office	$65,001,485

K-PAX is a 2001 American science fiction and mystery film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack and Alfre Woodard. The screenplay, written by Gene Brewer and Charles Leavitt, is based on a novel of the same name by Brewer about a psychiatric patient who claims to be an alien from the planet K-PAX. During his treatment, the patient demonstrates an outlook on life that ultimately proves inspirational for his fellow patients and especially for his psychiatrist. It was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States and Australia when Universal Pictures took the international rights and Pathé shared the UK rights with FilmFour.

Plot

Claiming to be an extraterrestrial from a planet called 'K-PAX' about one thousand light years away in the Lyra constellation, Prot (rhyming with the word "goat", played by Kevin Spacey) is committed to the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan where psychiatrist Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) begins to evaluate him as a delusional. However, Prot's unwavering ability to provide cogent answers to questions about himself, K-PAX, and its civilization leads Dr. Powell to introduce him to a group of astrophysicists, where Prot claims to have journeyed to Earth by means of "light-travel" and goes on to display knowledge that puzzles them.

Prot also exhibits considerable influence over the other patients at the Institute, each of whom believes unquestioningly that he is indeed from K-PAX. Prot has explained that he can take one person with him when he returns; thereafter most of the patients at the institute ask to be taken to K-PAX.

Upon learning that many of his patients expect to leave Earth on July 27, Dr. Powell confronts Prot, who explains that it is a predetermined date. However, Powell believes this to be a significant date in Prot's life, a day on which he suffered a severe psychological trauma. Powell then decides to subject Prot to regression hypnosis, which works well. Using information gained from these sessions, Powell figures out that Prot is actually Robert Porter, a man presumed dead since attempting suicide after his wife and daughter were murdered in 1996.

On July 27, what is thought to be Prot is found lying catatonic under his bed, and one of the other patients is also missing. The missing patient is never found, and Prot does not return. The other patients do not recognize Robert as he is being wheeled out of the room.

Cast

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

Controversy

Complaints of plagiarism of the film Man Facing Southeast were made by its makers, and Gene Brewer and others connected with the K-PAX film were subsequently sued in November 2001. The complaint was later withdrawn, and Gene Brewer went on to release a memoir exploring his inspiration for the books called Creating K-PAX - or Are You Sure You Want To Be A Writer?.

Critical Response

Some critics praised the film and the actors. Others were less enthusiastic. Roger Ebert, at The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “I admired how the movie tantalized us with possibilities and allowed the doctor and patient to talk sensibly, if strangely, about the difference between the delusional and that which is simply very unlikely.” While A. O. Scott, at The New York Times wrote, "K-Pax" is a draggy, earnest exercise in pseudo-spiritual uplift, recycling romantic hokum about extra-terrestrial life and mental illness with wide-eyed sincerity”. At Variety, Robert Koehler said, “In a movie treating light dramatically, John Mathieson's lensing makes the screen pulsate with light, shadow and spectral color making any glossed-on special effects irrelevant.” However, Claudia Puig, at USA Today concluded, “Besides being saddled with the year's worst title… this misguided movie is shackled by its own overreaching sense of importance and foggy earnestness.” Critics at Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 41% rating.

See also

• Man Facing Southeast

External links

• K-PAX Official Movie Website, Universal Studios
• K-PAX at IMDb
• K-PAX at the TCM Movie Database
• K-PAX at AllMovie
• K-PAX at Rotten Tomatoes