Nice friendly alien / madman ( / mad alien?) (K-Pax (DVD))

Member Name: Barold

Product:	K-Pax (DVD)
Date:	26/05/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lets us think for ourselves

Disadvantages: The rest of the trilogy was not made :-(

The premise of this film is simple enough. Prot (Kevin Spacey) is picked up by the police at Grand Central Station after an old woman is robbed and based on his reactions taken to the Manhattan Psychiatric Centre. He states that he is from another planet - specifically the planet 'K-PAX'.
The rest of the film is based around his time in the psych centre and his relationship with the various residents and staff there. We are taken on an emotional and revelatory journey as Dr Powell (Jeff Bridges) tries to cure him of his delusion. At no point in the film is there a definite indication of whether Prot is delusional or actually from another planet so you the viewer are left to decide for yourself which view you find more convincing (or which you enjoy more). Prot is a delightful character, full of gentle kindness and very innocent. I think it's for this reason that I personally prefer the alien theory - I don't want to spoil a perfect being by making him simply an unwell man.
This is a very enjoyable film, with some nice wordplay, a few bits of just plain silliness and some quite sad segments. Spacey is good as the lead, playing Prot as though he's looking at life from a distance. Dr Powell is well done and the relationship between him and Prot is multileveled. The supporting cast of patients is diverse and interesting.
The film is based on the 1st book of the K-PAX trilogy by Gene Brewer, so if you enjoyed this try the books.

Summary: Fun, questioning madhouse-drama-thing