Movie Reviews

Suzanne Hanover / SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS

Review in a Hurry: When a beautiful businesswoman breezes into town, a local motel owner's creepy son develops a fixation on her and will go to any length to have her. Another Psycho remake? Not quite—this is actually a slightly unsettling romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn.

The Bigger Picture: Let's say you're a successful career woman who's mildly unhappy with her life. You're single, and two guys come along. One is a sexy retired rock star (Woody Harrelson) who offers to give you all the money you need to start your dream project. The other is a clingy dork who lives rent-free with his parents and can barely carry on a conversation.

Which one do you pick? Wrong. Try again.

To the movie's credit, unlike similar romances in such movies as American Beauty, lip service is actually given to the fact that the setup is a little uncomfortable. Aniston's Sue sells "corporate art" (i.e., the paintings that hang in cheap motel rooms), and while staying in a Phoenix motel, she catches the eye of Mike (Zahn), an awkward man-child who proceeds to offer her complimentary bottles of wine.

Initially creeped out, but flattered by any kind of interest, Sue gives him a brief pity lay, expecting it'll be strings-free and she'll never see him again. Instead, he promptly buys a one-way ticket to Baltimore, where she lives, and shows up at the office.

She comes to learn he's really not dangerous, but complications ensue when her ex reenters the picture. Former punk Jango (Harrelson) is now a frozen yogurt mogul (newest flavor: Henry Rollins' chicken-wing crunch) who loves dogs and wants to fund Sue's dream project of a deluxe homeless shelter. Determined to win her heart, Mike swiftly becomes homeless.

All three leads are basically doing what they do well: Aniston's tightly wound with a heart of gold, Zahn's an oblivious doofus and mainly says really stupid things in that charming drawl of his. The story is standard Hollywood revenge-of-the-nerd schtick, albeit with a nerd who starts out with less obvious redeeming qualities than most.

However, the film's going for a fairy-tale vibe, and Aniston ultimately manages to sell us on the idea that this initially uncouth guy might win her over after all. It's a bit too little, too late, though.

The 180—a Second Opinion: While a lot of guys won't buy this movie for a second, women who already have a crush on Steve Zahn, assuming there are such, should readily forgive all implausibilities.