Unhappy architect Gabriel (Timothy Hutton in unmade-bed form) dreams of shucking his job and becoming a playwright; his steady wife Annie (Dana Delany) isn't sure about the idea, but at least he has the counsel of his best friend Cari (Mira Sorvino) to help him along. The pieces of a vintage Woody Allen-esque romantic-angst comedy are here: Manhattan setting, grown-up characters, nice apartments, narcissistic impulses. The moment in time, 1979, feels halfheartedly evoked, but the movie's main problem is that the protagonist's dilemma isn't sufficiently explored, either in the script by Linda Morris and director Brooks Branch, or in Timothy Hutton's frowzy performance. There are a couple of able supporting performances by Stockard Channing (as Gabriel's agent, whose friendship with him is conveniently available for his play-writing ambitions) and Mario Van Peebles (as Gabriel's colorfully gay coworker, he's one of the only people in the movie who seem to be having fun). Along with the relative ease of Gabriel's writing career, the film fails to surprise in laying out Gabriel's romantic destiny as well--as movies about male heroes with female best friends so often do
Actors: Timothy Hutton, Mira Sorvino, Dana Delany, Mario Van Peebles, Stockard Channing
Directors: Brooks Branch
