Date of Release to Theaters: October 8, 1999

Date of Release to Video: Not yet.

Running Time: 131 Minutes

Rated: R (for brief violence, sexuality and language)

Released by: Columbia TriStar

Genre: Drama

Producer: Sydney Pollack; Marykay Powell

Executive Producer: Ronald L. Schwary; Warren Adler

Writer: Kurt Luedtke (based on the novel by Warren Adler, adapted by Darryl Ponicsan)

Director: Sydney Pollack

Cast:

Dutch Van Den Broeck: Harrison Ford

Kay Chandler: Kristin Scott Thomas

Alcee: Charles S. Dutton

Wendy Judd: Bonnie Hunt

Detective George Beaufort: Dennis Haysbert

Carl Broman: Sydney Pollack

Truman Trainor: Richard Jenkins

Dick Montoya: Paul Guilfoyle

Peyton Van Den Broeck: Susanna Thompson

Cullen Chandler: Peter Coyote

Jessica Chandler: Kate Mara

"Random Hearts" is the story of two survivors, Dutch Van Den Broeck (Harrison Ford) and Congresswoman Kay Chandler (Kristin Scott Thomas), on two different levels. Not only did they lose their spouses in a plane crash neither was supposed to be on, but they lost their trust in their marriages as well.

Even after Dutch, an internal affairs investigator, does quite a bit of snooping and comes up with enough evidence to prove their spouses were having an affair with each other, Kay prefers to look the other way. She has an election to think of after all and that's obviously more important to her. I don't think she cried even once in the film. Dutch finally tried to cry once when they were in the woods by his cabin, but Kay abruptly stopped him.

It seems to me that neither one realizes that the people they married because they loved them so much…died. They're both obsessed with their own agendas. All Kay can think of is getting re-elected. And all Dutch can think of is how he can convince Kay that her husband and his wife cheated on them. Why he has to drag her into his chosen quest, I don't know. I would like to assume it's not to hurt her, but because then he won't feel quite so alone. Either way, pain is involved. Not only to them, but also to the moviegoers who have to sit there and watch two self-absorbed people mishandle a tragedy.

I liked the beginning of "Random Hearts." It really moved along nicely. But it was all downhill from there.

Grade: C-

E-Mail Teri Your Thoughts! TeriCrosby@aol.com