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Accidental Love

  • 2015
  • PG-13
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
4.1/10
9.5K
YOUR RATING
Paul Reubens, Catherine Keener, Jessica Biel, James Marsden, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tracy Morgan in Accidental Love (2015)
A small town waitress gets a nail accidentally lodged in her head causing unpredictable behavior that leads her to Washington, DC, where sparks fly when she meets a clueless young senator who takes up her cause - but what happens when love interferes with what you stand for?
Play trailer2:11
1 Video
60 Photos
Romantic ComedySatireComedyRomance

A small town waitress gets a nail accidentally lodged in her head causing unpredictable behavior that leads her to Washington, D.C., where sparks fly when she meets a clueless young senator ... Read allA small town waitress gets a nail accidentally lodged in her head causing unpredictable behavior that leads her to Washington, D.C., where sparks fly when she meets a clueless young senator who takes up her cause - but what happens when love interferes with what you stand for?A small town waitress gets a nail accidentally lodged in her head causing unpredictable behavior that leads her to Washington, D.C., where sparks fly when she meets a clueless young senator who takes up her cause - but what happens when love interferes with what you stand for?

  • Director
    • David O. Russell
  • Writers
    • Kristin Gore
    • Matt Silverstein
    • Dave Jeser
  • Stars
    • Jessica Biel
    • Ray Brown
    • Jenny Gulley
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.1/10
    9.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David O. Russell
    • Writers
      • Kristin Gore
      • Matt Silverstein
      • Dave Jeser
    • Stars
      • Jessica Biel
      • Ray Brown
      • Jenny Gulley
    • 47User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
    • 20Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:11
    Official Trailer

    Photos59

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    Top cast86

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    Jessica Biel
    Jessica Biel
    • Alice Eckle
    Ray Brown
    • Burger Hop Manager
    • (as Raymond L. Brown Jr.)
    Jenny Gulley
    Jenny Gulley
    • Brenda
    Beverly D'Angelo
    Beverly D'Angelo
    • Helen Eckle
    Steve Boles
    • Bob Eckle
    James Marsden
    James Marsden
    • Scott
    Bill Hader
    Bill Hader
    • Doctor Turnstall
    Darlene Hunt
    Darlene Hunt
    • Doctor Adams
    Cheryl McConnell
    Cheryl McConnell
    • Woman Administrator
    Kirstie Alley
    Kirstie Alley
    • Aunt Rita
    Kurt Fuller
    Kurt Fuller
    • Reverend Norm
    Tracy Morgan
    Tracy Morgan
    • Keyshawn
    Jake Gyllenhaal
    Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Howard Birdwell
    Malinda Williams
    Malinda Williams
    • Rakeesha
    Kendrick Cross
    Kendrick Cross
    • Security Guard
    Micah Shane Ballinger
    Micah Shane Ballinger
    • Young Aide
    Albert Gore III
    • Everett
    • (as Albert Gore)
    Catherine Keener
    Catherine Keener
    • Rep. Pam Hendrickson
    • Director
      • David O. Russell
    • Writers
      • Kristin Gore
      • Matt Silverstein
      • Dave Jeser
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews47

    4.19.4K
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    Featured reviews

    Dr_Sagan

    Accident..al..lo...Well hm... Just an Accident!

    This is somehow a black comedy with over-the-top situations and acting, with a mild, to-late-for-that lampoon about politics and government.

    It is an expensive film. 26 millions are too much for what it really is.

    The style it reminds movies from other decades. You even got Pee-wee Hermann in a secondary yet prominent role.

    PLOT: It's about a young waitress who has a freaky accident that changed her life. She can't have health care and travels to Washington with some other mishaps to pass a health-care bill, only to realize the true face of politics.

    Well, it is less than it sounds. The movie fails to feel big in that manner. The cast is OK and is doing its best to work with the weird script and material. Jessica Biel looks good and you can admire James Marsden's and Jake Gyllenhaal's effort to give life to their awkward characters. Tracy Morgan is also in this showing his lack of comedic talent, trying to deliver some deadpan oneliners.

    There is song and a dance at the end that is somehow entertaining. You can fast forward to that.
    MagyarRose

    Haven't guffawed like this since I don't' know when.

    The wit and conceits are some of the best I've seen in a while. Super script. I loved it from the moment the swaggering trooper pulls up on his bike at the retro diner, his persona is written to a T. The engagement episode is to die for. Then the conceit of the nail, and the turn coat trooper.

    I had to love it when the protagonist is told one side effect could be that she is likely to loose all kinds of inhibitions, which could be good when it came to making love.

    Protagonist, "Maybe I can finally have an orgasm" Trooper quasi fiancé, "Honey that is so private. I already told you that 50 to 60 percent of women can't orgasm from intercourse." She, "What about you starting gentle like I asked, ant then taking it at an angle that I really like?" He,"Anyway, so..." So true.

    The characters were all zany but believable. The politics were over the top with the right versus left: a moon army base station, versus a bill for catastrophic accidents health care like a nail in the head. It was all good irony and satire.

    The making love scene in the rookie congressman's office was one of the best I have seen staged in a long time... nothing was shown but hands, legs, and things getting broken.

    The aunt with her cigarette, and scalpel in hand, throwing back whiskey to steady the hands....too much.

    I loved the fact that there was no profanity.Great actors. I loved everything about this. The dancing in the end was great. Actually watched it once while I was getting ready for work, belly laughing at some of the lines, certain ones subtle but significant if you listen up, then watched it again when I got home after dinner. Will watch it once more with my significant other. You watch it too. :)
    5cosmo_tiger

    A generic, predictable movie that is a decent watch. A decent date movie.

    "You can't fix a brain with crazy ideas." Alice (Biel) has everything she wants in life. A job she loves and is good at, a loving family and a boyfriend who has just asked her to marry him. Right after the proposal a freak accident happens and she is shot in the head with a nail. With her life falling apart around her she sees Congressman Birdwell (Gyllenhaal) on the TV and thinks he is the answer to her problems. This movie is pretty much exactly what you would expect it to be. Funny in parts, pretty predictable, little generic but at the same time not a terrible movie. Every once in a while it's nice to just put a movie on without having to think about it and just enjoy yourself. This is that type of movie. There really isn't too much else to say about this one. I liked it enough, but wouldn't watch it again and nothing to rush and see, but I have seen worse. Overall, a generic, predictable movie that is a decent watch. A decent date movie. I give this a B-.
    6davidsask

    Never Meant To Be A Master-Piece, A Good Black Comedy!

    I am not a Biel fan and David is hit or miss admit it real cinema watchers! Jake did a great job as he always does in any role. I despise the one note Tracy Morgan and still enjoyed this movie. This move for all the making of drama it has, is after all a black comedy hit in my opinion. I hope this becomes a cult hit so it gives Hollywood the FU! I thought it had elements of Drop Dead Gorgeous, Troop Beverly HIlls, Legally Blonde 2, sure many political humour movies can fit in there!

    The actors may regret the role now but shouldn't, they had to have known it was never to be a masterpiece. "Tell us about the tragedy of your gayness" - 1:04:44 in the movie,I laughed so hard! All these people mad about it having health care in it, suck it! This is based on a book subject, is something the USA still needs improvement on,therefore its relevant in any form for cinema. If you ever get your crap together USA this movie will be even funnier. All will be,Why were we such tools, pun intended, What took us so long?! Considering Dumb Dumber Too and latest Transformers gets you spending your money FULL PRICE, whiners on this thread board need to rate/ judge fairly! 6/10
    4planktonrules

    It sat in limbo for several years and was completed without some of the most important filmmakers...'nuff said.

    "Accidental Love" is a film which had HUGE production problems. The filmmakers ran out of money and the film sat for years. And, it was so famous for this that it was an entry in the book "The Greatest Films You'll Never See". Then, after being auctioned off years later, the film was completed...though many of the folks who had been working on the project refused to return to complete it! As a result, you have a movie that is, at times, a bit incomprehensible and confusing. Again, when you are trying to salvage a project, this isn't all that surprising.

    What I DID find surprising were the reviews. Despite the weird way in which the film was completed, it was, at least in many parts, quite enjoyable....but there are quite a few reviewers that give it scores of 1 and talk as if it's the worst film ever made. Well, it simply isn't...or even close...to being the worst film. So why do so many attack the movie? Perhaps it's because the folks were angry about the film being in favor of national healthcare or the gay angle tossed into the story (completely out of the blue) towards the latter part of the movie. All I know is that I am guessing that folks hated it so much because of the film's message...which doesn't seem 100% fair. On the other hand, the film is at times so confusing and disjoint, I also couldn't understand a few reviews that gave the movie 10s and 9s. How could a film that took almost a decade to complete AND without all the crew and actors get a 9 or 10?! Both extremes seem unfair....and the truth is somewhere in the middle.

    The first 30 minutes of the film (parts of which were added much later) worked very well. While you would think having a woman getting a nail shot into her head sounds unfunny, the whole thing was handled well and was funny. It was only when the afflicted woman went to Washington, DC, that things began to become confusing and, at times, kind of dumb. It's all a real shame, as there really was a germ of a great idea for this film...but after a while it just seemed to become incomprehensible and bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre. A mess...but a very interesting mess. Perhaps they should have just left this one on the shelf...though it was, occasionally, quite fun.

    Budget:$26,000,000 (estimated) Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $24,487.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Production shut down numerous times due to financial problems. In May 2008, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel walked off the set after producers failed to show they had enough money to pay the cast. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced it would keep all cast members from the movie until the production company showed it had enough money set aside in a union-mandated account. When the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) learned that below-the-line crew members were not being paid, union leaders called for staff-members to boycott the production. Production shut down again in June 2008, when several crew members didn't show up for work because they hadn't been paid.
    • Goofs
      When Scott talks to Alice while the Squaw Girls are camping out in front of the United States Capitol, the calamine lotion on her face changes shape and density repeatedly.
    • Quotes

      Alice Eckle: What about you starting gentle like I asked, and then taking it at the angle that I really like?

    • Connections
      Featured in Celebrated: Jake Gyllenhaal (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      At Last
      Written by Mack Gordon (uncredited) and Harry Warren (uncredited)

      Performed by Etta James

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Accidental Love?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 10, 2015 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
      • Un accidente llamado amor
    • Filming locations
      • Columbia, South Carolina, USA
    • Production companies
      • K. JAM Media
      • Persistent Entertainment
      • Vocal Yokels
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $26,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $24,487
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Paul Reubens, Catherine Keener, Jessica Biel, James Marsden, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tracy Morgan in Accidental Love (2015)
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