Affleck and Paltrow `Bounce' back

LOS ANGELES _ Former lovebirds Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow co-star in ``Bounce'' as two people who fall in love under tragic circumstances. It is the first time the Oscar-winning actors have

Wednesday, November 15th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES _ Former lovebirds Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow co-star in ``Bounce'' as two people who fall in love under tragic circumstances. It is the first time the Oscar-winning actors have paired as film leads and only the second time they've appeared on screen together. The other time was ``Shakespeare in Love,'' for which Paltrow won her best actress Academy Award.

In ``Bounce,'' opening Friday, Affleck plays a hotshot ad exec named Buddy who gives up his seat on an overcrowded flight to a guy he meets at an airport bar. The ignoble gesture _ Buddy makes the offer so he can spend the night with a beautiful businesswoman he's met _ ends up saving his neck but costs the life of the other guy when the plane goes down in a snowstorm.

Racked with guilt, Buddy becomes an alcoholic and suffers a breakdown, emerging from a treatment program several months later determined to make amends to the dead man's family. Uncovering the guy's address, Buddy attempts to clear his conscience by throwing some business to the man's widow, Abby (Paltrow), without telling her why. But he doesn't count on the attraction the two instantly share. He tries to distance himself from Abby but, hopelessly in love, he continues to deceive her. The closer they grow, the harder it becomes for Buddy to tell the truth until his hand is finally forced.

Director/screenwriter Don Roos says creating the character of Buddy was easy. ``He's like all of us when things are going our way,'' says Roos, 41. He's referring to people in show business, he adds, who like Buddy are blindly focused on sales, image and presentation. ``It's also about control and winning.''

The transformation of Buddy from self-centered, immature yuppie to caring, humble human being is at the center of the story, Roos says. ``It's really the story of a man who doesn't understand anything about human relationships, so he has to learn,'' he explains.

``Bounce'' is the second film directed by this veteran screenwriter, whose writing credits include ``Single White Female,'' ``Love Field,'' ``Boys on the Side'' and the 1996 remake of ``Diabolique.'' It is a departure from his 1998 directorial debut, ``The Opposite of Sex,'' a dark comedy starring Christina Ricci, Lisa Kudrow and Lyle Lovett. Still, the plots of both films revolve around characters striving to overcome tragedy.

``It's really how characters bounce back or bounce forward or whatever they do after a big event that interests me,'' Roos says.

``Bounce'' was written as an old-fashioned love story in the classic Hollywood mold. Driven by two strong characters, it was a good vehicle for big-name stars. Miramax, which had secured the rights to ``Bounce,'' gave Roos the director's reins following the modest success of his first film. For the leads, Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein suggested Affleck and Paltrow, both veterans of the studio's films. But Roos says he didn't think the two young stars would be ``willing to be directed by somebody on their second movie.'' His concerns were unfounded, however. The three met and got along famously.

Was there a problem working with actors who used to be romantically involved? No, says Roos, ``As soon as you meet them, it's so obvious that they're comfortable with one another. They're really good friends. They know each other well.''

The stars' relationship actually proved beneficial on the set, says the director. He'd consult with each to find out the best ways to direct the other and detected no tension between the two during production. ``They had a great relationship on the set,'' he says. ``It also helps in terms of the chemistry on screen that these actors really know each other. When they look at each other it's quite clear that they are very attentive to each other. They love each other; it's apparent on camera. It's affectionate love rather than romantic love but it reads the same on film.''

Paltrow tackles her first maternal film role in ``Bounce'' where she plays the mother of two young boys. The actress recognized that her beautiful blond locks might be a little unbelievable for a suburban L.A. housewife, so she volunteered to go plain-Jane brunette for the role.

``I wanted to get away from that golden girl/princess look,'' says Roos. ``She did too. It was her idea. She said, `I'm thinking about going brunette for this,' and I said, ``Great, that really saves me a very difficult phone conversation with you.''' Nothing against brunettes, he adds, noting that the dark hair makes Paltrow's character ``warm and approachable.'' ``She's not glamorous or on a pedestal,'' he says.

Affleck has called his role in ``Bounce'' ``unequivocally my best work to date as an actor.'' He was instrumental in convincing Miramax to change the film's release date from summer to fall by publicly issuing a strongly worded message to the studio's executives earlier this year on his Web site. Affleck expressed concern that ``Bounce'' was not traditional summer fare and would suffer at the box office from unreasonable expectations. He also compared the film to the 1973 Robert Redford-Barbra Streisand melodrama ``The Way We Were.''

With Affleck and Paltrow reigning as two of the most valuable stars in the Miramax stable, it didn't take long for the release date to bounce back to the fall when movie audiences are primed for dramas and love stories.

As for Roos, he plans to continue directing his own projects but hasn't decided yet on the next one. ``I'm still in love with `Bounce,''' he admits. ``Got any ideas?''