Serendipity - Does it Exist?

This movie was great! First of all - for those of you who haven't seen Serendipity it is defined as the cause of all events in the world. Christians would term it the sovereignty of God making things happen for a purpose. This movie is based completely around the theme that all things really do happen for a purpose. Although this movie is a romantic comedy, it deals with some really deep issues about human free will and serendipity (or the sovereignty of God if you will). That's what made this movie so appealing for me (Paul). It wasn't some stupid run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. It addresses many different philosophies and ideas about what part "human will" plays into the course of our lives and what part God allows things to sovereignly happen to us for His greater purposes. In this sense it is similar to Stranger than Fiction in the depth of issues covered, yet the similarity probably ends there. Since some commenter's think my comparisons of movies are not accurate (i.e. Road House and Walking Tall) I will refrain from drawing too many parallels between this movie and Stranger than Fiction. However, I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason and that I'm not a subject of random chance. For me that really adds hope to my life and increases my trust in God to know that whatever happens to me is allowed by Someone with a special purpose for my life. One scripture of many that I base this belief on is found in Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

For me that is pretty clear teaching that all things happen for the purposes of God to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. All that being said, I don't believe 100% in what this movie teaches. The characters begin to almost go crazy trying to interpret random events as "signs" that will inform them of something (in this case - who they should fall in love with). Granted, it is a movie, but this is just plain unhealthy trust in circumstances, rather than trust in the God who allowed the circumstances to happen. I don't believe anyone should allow circumstances to be the sole basis of our human choices (as this movie seems to imply). I won't reveal too much more of this movie, but I found the acting top-notch, the premise - very interesting and well presented, and the overall value of the movie high. Two thumbs up.

Chrystal's Review: Serendipity - ONE TRUE LOVE

I haven't written my own review in a while and since the website is Paul and Chrystal, I thought this movie deserved my two cents. This was my rental pick. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I like that it talks about the idea that random things happen for a reason. I'm going to give a lot away about the plot - so don't read this if you still want to watch it.

We start out meeting both of the main characters a few days before Christmas trying to buy a present for their significant other. They do not go into much detail about the other relationships, but we learn that they are not in love with their girlfriend/boyfriend. Have you ever been in a dating relationship where you know the person is great, but not right for you, but in an effort to be "nice" you do not say anything and hope for the best? This is where they are in their dating relationships. As a result, they wait right before the Holiday to pick out a generic gift. That is when they bump into another person that they feel more connected to and they have the most magical night getting to know this person!

Fast forward a few years, and they get engaged to the other people in their lives. Anyhow, during engagement, they both start to think about this other person and want to meet up with them one last time just to see what would happen. In a romantic gesture, John Cusack, pursues his mystery girl going to extreme lengths to track her down. The mystery girl also decides to track down the mystery guy. Through this process of searching, John Cusack he discovers that while his fiance is a great package (attractive, intelligent), he does not feel his true self around her. He's not truly committed enough to really go forward with the wedding. He calls off the wedding not knowing what will happen, but knowing that he needs to come clean and not marry someone thinking all along that they are 2ND best. Also, his best friend, who is currently separated realizes from watching him go to crazy lengths to track this woman down, that he needs to pursue his wife more - that they got lazy in having fun and getting to know one another. So, we see his friend with a huge bouquet of flowers and a dopey smile running off to pursue his wife.

This movie is such a great picture of how marriage is meant to be - an ongoing pursue to get to know the ONE person God planned for you to be with for life. It is a reminder to take your dating life seriously and not allowing yourself to drift into engagement without discernment!! We should be in awe at how we supernaturally met our spouses in this big universe! The Bible says marriage is a covenant between you, your spouse, and Him. He designed your spouse to fit you perfectly. It takes a lot of work, time, and money to sacrificially invest in another person. It also requires working at honest communication and not just being "nice" all the time - you have to be transparent (real). Your spouse may not be perfect, but the ONE God has for you is a true and perfect gift from Him.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17 (NASB)