{ "id": "epp80cbxww", "slug": "forces-of-nature", "title": "Forces of Nature", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"Forces of Nature is a 1999 American romantic comedy directed by Bronwen Hughes, starring Ben Affleck as a groom racing to his Savannah wedding with Sandra Bullock.", "snippet": "Forces of Nature is a 1999 American romantic comedy directed by Bronwen Hughes, starring Ben Affleck as a groom racing to his Savannah wedding with Sandra Bullock.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.comedy-romance.comedies-of-1995-to-1999.black-and-satirical-comedies.yr-1999", "markdown": "# Forces of Nature\n\n**Forces of Nature** is a 1999 American romantic comedy directed by Bronwen Hughes and written by Marc Lawrence, in which a groom-to-be races from New York to [Savannah, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/savannah-georgia), for his wedding while a series of travel disasters and an eccentric traveling companion test his commitment. It stars [Ben Affleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-affleck) as [Ben Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-holmes), Sandra Bullock as Sarah Lewis, and Maura Tierney as Bridget Cahill, and was distributed by DreamWorks SKG.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | Wide release March 19, 1999, by DreamWorks SKG[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature) |\n| Director / writer | Bronwen Hughes; screenplay by Marc Lawrence[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature) |\n| Running time / rating | 102 minutes; PG-13 for sensuality, language, and a scene of drug use[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature) |\n| Box office | $52,957,800 domestic, $41,000,000 international, $93,957,800 worldwide, against a $75,000,000 budget[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0141098/) |\n| Opening weekend | $13,510,728 in 2,058 theaters, 25.5% of the total domestic gross[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature) |\n| Critical scores | 45% on the Tomatometer from 66 reviews; Metascore 46 from 26 critic reviews[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/) |\n| Awards | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards: 1 win, 4 nominations; Kids' Choice Awards: 2 nominations; Teen Choice Awards: 1 win, 1 nomination[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nBen Holmes has two days to get from New York to Savannah, Georgia, for his wedding to Bridget Cahill. His plane skids off the runway after a seagull flies into the engine, and later flights are canceled because of an approaching hurricane. Ben inadvertently saves the life of his seatmate, Sarah Lewis, who becomes his companion for the trip. As fate repeats itself through disasters involving a rental car, a train, and a bus, not to mention the hurricane, Ben begins to wonder whether someone is trying to send him a message, and he finds himself growing closer to Sarah as the wedding approaches.[5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/forces-of-nature) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature)\n\nThe supporting cast includes [Steve Zahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-zahn) as Alan, Blythe Danner as Virginia, Ronny Cox as Hadley, Michael Fairman as Richard, Janet Carroll as Barbara, Richard Schiff as Joe, and [David Strickland](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-strickland) as Steve.[5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/forces-of-nature) The film was produced by Susan Arnold, Ian Bryce, and Donna Arkoff Roth, with [John Powell](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-powell) composing the score.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature) • [5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/forces-of-nature)\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe screenplay was an original, not an adaptation.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature) Hughes had previously debuted with *Harriet the Spy*, and Lawrence, whose remake of *The Out-of-Towners* was due out the following month, wrote the script; the Los Angeles Times praised its playful, unexpected lines at the time of release.[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-19-ca-18708-story.html) The film opened wide on March 19, 1999, in 2,058 theaters, and expanded to a maximum of 2,335 theaters over a 17-week domestic run.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature)\n\n## Box office\n\n**Opening and legs.** The film debuted at No. 1 with $13,510,728, knocking *Analyze This* from the top of the box office in what the Los Angeles Times described as a generally lackluster Oscar weekend.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-22-ca-19779-story.html) It held the top spot in its second weekend with an estimated $9.6 million, beating the new releases *[EDtv](https://www.edgepedia.org/edtv)* and *The Mod Squad*.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/forces-of-nature-is-no-1/) Its legs ratio, total domestic gross divided by the biggest weekend, was 3.92, and the domestic share was 56.4% of the worldwide total.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature)\n\nAgainst a production budget of $75,000,000, the film earned $52,957,800 domestically and $41,000,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $93,957,800.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0141098/) Adjusted for inflation, the domestic gross equals $117,904,070.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature)\n\n## Critical reception\n\nThe film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 45% Tomatometer from 66 reviews and a 34% audience score from more than 50,000 ratings; the site's critics consensus cites a distinct lack of chemistry between Affleck and Bullock and a screwball sensibility that is a touch too screwy.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature) On Metacritic it scored 46 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, with 8 positive, 13 mixed, and 5 negative.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/)\n\nReviews divided over the film's style and its ending. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called it an extremely likable vehicle with a genuine sense of fun, and Variety's Joe Leydon described it as an extremely enjoyable neo-screwball comedy about attractive opposites on the road.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/critic-reviews/) Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the film shows Bullock to amusing if overly frenetic advantage while leaving Affleck without enough of a [Cary Grant](https://www.edgepedia.org/cary-grant) aura for his wimpier character.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/critic-reviews/) Richard Corliss of TIME called the film a disaster and DreamWorks' first reprehensible fiasco, and Roger Ebert gave it two stars, calling it a romantic [shaggy dog story](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaggy-dog-story) that delivers what he considered the wrong happy ending and never generates chemistry between its leads.[10](https://time.com/archive/6734939/cinema-forces-of-nature/) • [11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/forces-of-nature-1999) James Berardinelli of ReelViews, in a positive review, argued that the film's greatest strength is that it flouts several established conventions of the romantic-comedy genre.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/critic-reviews/)\n\n## Style and retrospective view\n\nThe film's visual approach drew comment in both directions. The review site SPLICEDwire called it the most stylistically creative romantic comedy in recent memory, at times downright experimental, citing two computer-enhanced storm scenes in which raindrops fall in slow motion while everything else runs at normal speed.[12](https://www.splicedwire.com/99reviews/forces.html) Other critics, including Corliss, saw the same stylization as empty, arguing that slow-motion sleet, rain, and confetti could not give the film style.[10](https://time.com/archive/6734939/cinema-forces-of-nature/)\n\nA later [British Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-film-institute) retrospective on the romantic comedy described *Forces of Nature* as an underrated screwball road movie in which Bullock's free-spirit antics do not get her the guy, placing it among her experiments in pushing her screen goofiness toward mania.[13](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/romcom) The film's refusal of a conventional Hollywood ending remains a recurring point in both contemporary and later assessments.[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/forces-of-nature-1999) • [13](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/romcom)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Forces of Nature, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forces_of_nature)\n2. [Forces of Nature (1999), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forces-of-Nature)\n3. [Forces of Nature (1999), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0141098/)\n4. [Forces of Nature Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/)\n5. [Forces of Nature, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramount.com/movies/forces-of-nature)\n6. [A Collision of Two Irresistible 'Forces', Los Angeles Times, March 19, 1999](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-19-ca-18708-story.html)\n7. [Affleck-Bullock Teaming Proves a Forceful Combination, Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1999](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-22-ca-19779-story.html)\n8. ['Forces Of Nature' Is No. 1, CBS News/AP, March 28, 1999](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/forces-of-nature-is-no-1/)\n9. [Forces of Nature critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/forces-of-nature/critic-reviews/)\n10. [Cinema: Forces Of Nature, TIME, March 22, 1999](https://time.com/archive/6734939/cinema-forces-of-nature/)\n11. [Forces Of Nature movie review, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, March 19, 1999](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/forces-of-nature-1999)\n12. [Forces of Nature review, SPLICEDwire, 1999](https://www.splicedwire.com/99reviews/forces.html)\n13. [In defence of the modern romcom, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/romcom)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1995 to 1999 › Black and satirical comedies › Released in 1999*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Forces of Nature\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Forces of Nature](https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature](https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Forces of Nature\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/forces-of-nature. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Forces of Nature is a 1999 American romantic comedy directed by Bronwen Hughes, starring Ben Affleck as a groom racing to his Savannah wedding with Sandra Bullock." }