ROMANCE
One man's mumbo-jumbo is another's profundity. Here's betting that despite committed performances by its gifted stars, 8 out of 10 viewers are going to dismiss The Fountain as pretentious, head-scratching claptrap (count me in). The other 2 will find it moving and wise. Then again, I know folks who still argue on behalf of Battlefield Earth.
This wonky romantic drama, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream), follows a medical researcher (Jackman) desperately seeking a cure to save his ill wife (Weisz). But the film also travels back and forth in time. In the 16th century, Jackman is a Spanish conquistador searching for the secret to eternal life for his queen (also Weisz); in the 26th century he's a space traveler, and she's the ghost of his beloved 21st-century wife. The message: Love while you can, accept that death is inevitable, and find happiness while here on earth—or something like that. (PG-13)
