Though it is being sold in TV ads as if it's a thriller, "Intersection" instead proves to be merely a tepid melodrama, which unfolds in a series of intercut flashbacks.
The film opens with Richard Gere racing down a narrow, rain-slick country road at 80 mph when he sees a stalled van in his path and a huge truck coming up the other lane. As he brakes and his car skids sideways, we realize that this is merely a tease — and it's a long 90 minutes or so before we find out what happens in this three-vehicle traffic jam.
As the film lunges into its story of Gere's failed marriage and his romance with another woman, we see that he is a high-profile architect in downtown Vancouver, in partnership with his wife (Sharon Stone). He has moved out of their home, but, to illustrate that he is still emotionally attached to Stone, Gere continues to park his car at their house in the suburbs. It's a long walk.
The other woman in all of this is a sexy, red-haired magazine columnist (Lolita Davidovich), who thinks nothing of showing up drunk at the most important affair of Gere's career and making a scene.
As the flashbacks and flash-forwards begin in earnest, we see that Gere and Stone were somewhat mismatched to begin with, and she has gradually become more and more of a workaholic over the years. And, apparently, this is reason enough for Gere to pick up Davidovich at an auction and begin an affair.
But wait! Davidovich wants commitment, and Gere is unable to bring himself to park his car downtown. He's also extremely jealous when Stone takes a boyfriend after their breakup.
So, with both of his relationships at a stalemate, Gere is torn. He doesn't know what to do.
Finally, after somehow being inspired by a little girl he meets, Gere makes an enthusiastic, spontaneous decision and hops in his car to meet the woman he has decided he truly loves.
But, wouldn't you know it? That traffic accident — you remember . . . the one that was telegraphed in the film's opening moments — interferes.
There is the germ of an enjoyably trashy weeper in all of this, but director Mark Rydell — who certainly saw better days with "On Golden Pond" and "The Rose" — has made a fatal flaw. He has cast two of his three main roles with actors who have strong screen presence but limited acting ability.
Gere and Stone are fine with roles that do not overly tax their range, particularly in genre films, such as thrillers or mysteries. But these characters call for wide-ranging emotion. And Stone in particular is uncomfortable and un-convincing in just about every scene.
On the other hand, Davidovich proves once again that she is too good an actress for the bad movies in which she appears. This woman is a star waiting to happen.
"Intersection" is rated R for sex, nudity, profanity and a disturbing car crash.