The prospect of class acts Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges going head-to-head here is a delicious one, especially in what is essentially a talky two-hander about a mysterious stranger (Spacey) claiming to be a visitor from the planet K-PAX and the psychologist who attempts to crack his "delusional" state. Unfortunately, the story doesn't match their performances; once the seed of doubt has been sown in Bridges's mind that perhaps the zen-like Spacey really is from another planet, the film collapses in on itself. British director Iain Softley (The Wings of a Dove) and screenwriter Charles Leavitt also attempt to have their cake and eat it, by lifting from films such as One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Starman (in which Bridges was the alien). The final result is bloodless, touchy-feely schmaltz that's well beneath all concerned.

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.