I'm a fan of Sean Astin's, which was a major reason why I saw this movie. I agree with many of the comments - the movie seemed unbalanced -some scenes were good, some were quite bad, and one was boring (some scenes of Sean Astin's character and his friend, Jason, working, which did not add much to the movie. I thought it had the potential to be a much better movie. The movie seems like it is searching for a plot, but does not quite get there. I liked the bits of philosophy, although they seemed kind of out of place at some times (it was overused in the dialogue at some points) I liked some of the quotes in the movie, and the theme of experiencing something rather than just thinking about it. The scene on the beach with Morgan and his teacher encapsulated this theme of the movie, and which I thought was the best scene in the movie.
What disappointed me is the story had potential. There were some likable characters, and there were some humorous lines and moments in the movie.
I am so used to seeing Sean Astin play nice guys that the Morgan character was a bit jarring. He is so insensitive to his friend Jason, especially at a scene near the end. Jason is clearly the more mature of the two.
Matthew Lillard's character is the most likable and believable character in the movie. He is good - natured and an easygoing guy. In contrast, Sean Astin's character Morgan does show potential of being a nice guy, but he's a very cynical guy who distances himself from women, and doesn't believe in marriage. (a good portion of the movie seems anti - marriage, despite the two marriages in the movie) Some characters (like Mr. Dewitt, Anne's boss) seemed stereotypical and therefore not completely believable.
Since Sean Astin and Shannon Elizabeth's character really didn't have enough screen time, there wasn't enough time to develop chemistry. Plus, her character completely disappears for awhile - she is neither seen nor mentioned. The relationship didn't develop enough to be completely believable.
I thought Sean Astin did a great job as usual. I wish he was given more to work with.
