Twice Upon a Yesterday (1999)

Touches You

Thanks for the memories!

Powerful

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

This movie started out a little too slow for me and I would have turned it off, but there was nothing else on that I wanted to see so I decided to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did. I won't bore you with the plot because you've probably read the other reviews. What I liked about this movie over other romantic comedies is that you never really know how it's going to end or who is going to end up together. Great use, by the way, of the tattered umbrella prop. Why can't Hollywood make comedies this unpredictable? Well, it seems I don't have enough lines for my review to be published yet so I'll tack something on here. If you like " What If" fables, this is the perfect movie for you. Similar to the movie "Sliding Doors" I found this movie much more satisfying.

I sat down to watch this last night, expecting to see the movie with Jennifer Love Hewitt (this one is called "If Only" on this side of the pond), and almost turned it off in the first 10 minutes. I'm glad I didn't.Douglas Henshaw looks so shambolic that its difficult to believe he pulled a poppet like Lena Headley, but he is a very good actor and gradually the movie draws you in, taking you on a whimsical ride in the style of Richard Curtis, albeit rather more subdued.My guess is that Penelope Cruz was there to provide American audiences with a familiar name, and she does an reasonable job without ever setting the screen alight. What I'd really like to know though is whether the characters of the Spanish garbagemen came about as a result of casting her, or vice-versa. Either way, it works well, and the resulting story of love, choices, fate and moving on is nicely told, without preaching.Unfortunately, I worked out what was going to happen about half an hour before the end, and for that reason can only give it 8/10; but it was a good enough film to watch it out, and I'm sure it'll provide canoodling couples with a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours for many years to come.

May Contain minor spoilersWhat is the best solution for a failed romantic relationship? Should we take our hard-won lessons forward and apply them to our next experience, hopeful that we can get it right this time? Or,as in the case of this film, if we were given a chance, is it best that we journey to the past and attempt to rectify the errors of our failed romance? Twice Upon a Yesterday seems to be saying "Yes" to both cases. This serves to keep the ultimate resolution to this film from being totally satisfying. Of course, it also keeps it real."What if?" is probably the ultimate human question. It reflects our yearning for a "do over button" that we can press when we find that we don't like the outcomes of our decisions. The fact that one exists in this film, is part of its allure.While examining some of the previous reviews of this film on the internet I ran across an article that mentions the screenwriter. He stated that he wrote the screenplay in response to a failed romance of his own. He presumably had moved on but continued to yearn for redemption and reconciliation. With this information in hand, I can now see why the Sylvia/Victor relationship is given yet another try (by Sylvia this time) at the end of the film. The fact that Victor seems to have found happiness with Louisa is just as irrelevant to Sylvia as Sylvia's pending nuptials to Dave were to Victor in another time line. The heart wants what the heart wants--and the heart is selfish.While there were no good guys or bad guys in the film--everyone was just your basic flawed human being--it now seems clear to me that the scriptwriter wants us to continue to cheer for Victor and Sylvia as a couple. I can almost picture the two of them in a seemingly endless loop, trying one way after another to resolve their problems until they finally get it right.Of course, the story also says....There is another way...

First off this film was called "twice upon a yesterday" in the theatre and on video when I saw it, so this other title may confuse you. **spoilers follow**. This is a solid film. An interesting story, well directed and well acted. The reason I like this film so much is that it examines all those twists of fate that govern one's life. How many times has one wondered what might have been had one not met a person at a certain place at a certain time? Or also wondered if only I could undo what has happened! Victor's character gets a chance at redemption and he is able to try and mend his ways. However his life seems destined to go a certain way. I liked how this film explored that whole idea of karma and destiny and how maybe life would have gone exactly the same way no matter what we envisioned. As a guy one can only laugh as well as empathize with Victor's paranoia over his girlfriend's impending infidelity. There is nothing he can do to stop it, because it is fate. All in all, a well crafted little fairy tale.