Serendipity

Watched: 18th November 2025

How Watched: DVD

Rating on IMDB: 6.8 out of 10 (from 129,000 reviews)
Correct at 20th November 2025

Who's in it:

John Cusack

Kate Beckinsale

Molly Shannon

Jeremy Piven

Bridget Moynahan

Eugene Levy

Directed By: Peter Chelsom

Year: 2001

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Plot:

Sara and Jonathan meet over the last pair of black cashmere gloves during a Christmas shopping trip to Bloomingdales. 

Sara, a big fan of leaving things to the fates, says they should put the principle of serendipity to the test. If they are meant to know each other better then the fates will bring them together. 

Bring on Jonathan's phone number on a $5 bill and Sara's number in the cover of a first edition of Love in the Time of Cholera. 

Will they get their happily ever after or will the fates have other ideas? 

Interesting Fact About the Film:

• Cusack and Beckinsale filmed only a few days together during the shoot, much like their characters they only saw each other for a limited time.

Source IMDb.com

Review:
The soundtrack for the movie is great, a good strong christmassy start with Cool Yule. A lovely setting of New York City, always a good setting for a Christmas caper with lots of well known sights. 

John Cusack stars during his rom-com era, with a deadpan but warm smoulder. 

Kate Beckinsale plays the British love interest and between them there is a lovely charm to the whole thing. Add in their friends trying to guide (and otherwise) and an interfering salesman played by Eugene Levy (known to me in 2001 more as Jim's dad, IYKYK). 

The majority of the comedy in this rom-com comes from the supporting cast eccentricities, rather than the main characters.

Generally a warm love hug of a movie. 

Great to be watching the snowy New York scenery while large snowflakes were also falling in the UK this week. 

Hopeless romantic score: 8 out of 10 

For more information about the film visit the imdb.com page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240890/