It is writer-director Don Ross’ forte to develop convincing love stories out of chance meetings or difficult situations that are unlikely to result in romance. For instance, the inter-racial love story in Love Field and the homosexual, love and lament theme in The Opposite of Sex -- are two of his best-scripted love stories. Although both films offered engaging storylines, smart dialogue and believable romance, neither film received the accolades it deserved within mainstream cinema. His latest romantic drama, Bounce, (starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow) on the other hand, will appease the "feel good" crowd of Hollywood movie-goers, while it may disappoint those fans who expect more depth from Don Ross films.

Ben Affleck is Buddy Amaral, a young and smug executive who runs his own advertising agency in Los Angeles. After scoring a multi-million dollar contract with Infinity Airlines, Buddy ends up stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He strikes up a conversation with two other stranded travelers -- one is a gorgeous blonde who is blatantly attracted to Buddy, and the other is Greg, a humble playwright desperate to return home to his loving wife and two kids. After a short "compare and contrast" drink at the bar, it is pretty obvious to all three that Greg is the odd man out. So, Buddy sweet talks an ex-lover airport official into allowing Greg to take Buddy’s seat on the next plane out, while Buddy indulges in an overlay with the blonde at the airport hotel. Unfortunately, the Infinity flight crashes and Greg is killed. To make matters worse, Buddy is forced to work on the damage-control campaign for Infinity Airlines. Unable to cope with his guilt, he ends up developing an addiction problem.

After a year of rehab, Buddy is released. Immediately he decides to seek out Greg’s family in the hopes of somehow making amends. Though his intentions are to help Greg’s widowed wife (played by the significantly dressed down Gwyneth Paltrow), as luck would have it, Abby is attracted to him. Buddy initially tries to discourage Abby’s advances, but eventually he finds himself increasingly drawn to her and her two sons. As the two start dating, Buddy’s guilt increases and he is soon left with no choice but to confess his ties to Greg’s death.

This conflicted love story is unfortunately slightly underdeveloped, mainly due to its predictability. From the moment Buddy and Abby meet, it is pretty obvious that their encounter will lead to romance with all of the conventional ups and downs. Though both characters have their own demons to overcome, they look to one another for healing and, consequently, the story falls a bit flat. Despite the fact that Affleck and Paltrow were once an off-screen couple (and apparently still very close friends), their on-screen romance lacks intensity. Other than a few stolen kisses, Buddy and Abby are restricted to shy exchanges of knowing glances.

Still, if you’re looking to escape into a feel-good romance, Bounce may just be your ticket. It gets a *** rating.

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