Serendipity

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Serendipity

PG-13

2001

1h 30m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

58%

Tomatometer

138 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

On a magical night when they are in their 20s, Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale). He finds it love at first sight, but Sara believes in destiny. After 10 years the two -- with 3,000 miles between them -- must decide if fate wants them to be together again. When love feels like magic, it is called destiny; when destiny has a sense of humor, it is serendipity.

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Critics Consensus

Light and charming, Serendipity could benefit from less contrivances.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 28, 2010

4/5

Lightweight romance may appeal to teens.

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

Aug 19, 2008

"Serendipity" will serve as an excellent gauge of any viewer's tolerance level for schmaltzy contrivance and manipulation.

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William Thomas

Empire Magazine

Dec 30, 2006

3/5

There's nothing special or remarkable, but it's amiable and entertaining enough to make you forget that it's directed by the same man who brought the world Town And Country.

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Joe Leydon

The Moving Picture Show

Sep 12, 2021

You'll be highly amused, bountifully entertained and - maybe, just maybe - uplifted and reinvigorated.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 5, 2021

3/5

...lightweight to a fault...

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Jan 9, 2021

3.5/4

...a somewhat absurd premise that's employed to pervasively affable and flat-out delightful effect...

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Tim M

@tgmacman Oct 3, 2026

Manipulative and as starry-eyed as its protagonists, Serendipity nevertheless succeeds in gaining audience investment.

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COS M

@CosMovies Sep 21, 2026

MASTERPIECE — A beautiful, magical and romantic story about love, coincidence and synchronicity, set against the extraordinary energy of New York City. A remarkable sequence of seemingly chance events brings two people together, separates them, and somehow gives them another chance to find each other when the time is right. Endearing and wonderfully believable, it reminds us that life can be filled with unexpected connections, that destiny sometimes finds its way through the most ordinary moments, and that there is always reason to believe in love and hope.

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Jerod S

@jeroduptown Sep 4, 2026

It's one of those rom-coms that you're just constantly frustrated by the series of events because it's clear how it's going to end.

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Doig E

@dougpse1 Jul 5, 2026

One of the most romantic movies ever

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Melissa M

@Lisey Apr 28, 2026

Serendipity has got got the Dead Pan humor of Eugene Levy. The rapid fire approach to acting from John Cusack. Molly Shannon's character Eve is quirky but surprisingly the voice of reason. You can definitely see the bromance between John Cusack and Jeremy piven. They made so many good movies together. Their friendship was so Crystal clear in the movies they made it together. There was a time they were the equivalency of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The meet-cute between Jonathan & Sara at the beginning of the movie is adorable. The crazy coincidences that happened in the movie make the film fun to watch. It's the perfect date movie.. Kate beckinsale is a multi-talented actress. This movie could either be a romantic rom-com. Or super cute Christmas movie.

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Monica B

@Chartreusea Feb 22, 2026

Funny enough to keep watching, but yeah, not a good plot, and I wouldn’t watch it again. It did have some original humor in it, those are the stars.

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Peter Chelsom

Director

John Cusack

Jonathan Trager

Kate Beckinsale

Sara Thomas

Molly Shannon

Eve

Jeremy Piven

Dean Kansky

John Corbett

Lars Hammond

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Synopsis

On a magical night when they are in their 20s, Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale). He finds it love at first sight, but Sara believes in destiny. After 10 years the two -- with 3,000 miles between them -- must decide if fate wants them to be together again. When love feels like magic, it is called destiny; when destiny has a sense of humor, it is serendipity.

Director: Peter Chelsom
Producer: Peter Abrams, Simon Fields, Robert L. Levy
Screenwriter: Marc Klein
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Tapestry Films, Simon Fields Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Scenes of Sexuality|Brief Language)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.2M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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