K-PAX (2001)

A surprisingly intelligent treatment of the what-if-I-were-an-alien question, regrettably marred by the hypnosis-as-crystal-ball and psych-ward-patients-as- cheerleaders plot devices -- in other words, Star Man meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The quizzical vagrant Kevin Spacey meets uberpsych Jeff Bridges, the original Star Man (see Spacey's gait for kudos to Bridges) but here so dedicated to diagnosing Spacey that he turns his staff into a cold-case team and flies cross-country to investigate a lead. Every word of dialog is pivotal as Spacey asks the pithy questions and provides undeniable answers that all but prove he is an alien -- a point that no one is willing to concede, naturally. Fortunately, Bridges uncovers Spacey's back story, regrettably marred by the plot device of investigating a long-abandoned crime scene and gazing at a tattered tableau -- followed by the camera's convenient depiction of the crime scene's reenactment. (Don't let young children see this part.) No definitive conclusion can be made, however, and the truth could lie in either direction (or both) as the story reaches resolution. The lighting effects are pivotal and well-crafted throughout the movie, as is the music and soundtrack, down to the closing tones of Sheryl Crow's "Safe and Sound" arrangement that are reminiscent of radio telescope signals. 4 stars.