Josh Hartnett may bear a startling resemblance to a young Tommy Lee Jones, but he's clearly bereft of that Oscar winner's acting talents. Hartnett, a barely animated block of wood, has made a minicareer out of mumbling his way through one high-profile role after another.
Still, Hollywood continues to push him as a leading man, most recently in "Wicker Park." To be fair to Hartnett, his typically monotone performance isn't the only problem with the film. (After all, he was a replacement for the film's original star, Brendan Fraser, who dropped out when director Joel Schumacher left as well.)
This combination romantic drama/erotic thriller grows increasingly ludicrous over the course of its nearly two-hour running time, to the point where it almost appears to become a comedy. However, the whole thing is played with such a straight face that it's clear that's not the case.
"Wicker Park" is a remake of a 1996 French-language film, "L'Appartement," which starred Monica Bellucci. This version follows Matthew Simon (Hartnett), a young Chicago advertising executive.
Matthew is practically engaged, but that doesn't stop him from obsessing about another woman — he believes he recently spotted his ex-girlfriend, Lisa (Diane Kruger), who one day disappeared mysteriously from his life.
So Matthew begins stalking her and even breaks into her apartment. But when he gets inside, he finds another woman (Rose Byrne) who claims that her name is Lisa.
Not to give anything away, but there are similarities between this one and "Single White Female."
It's so overplotted it becomes ridiculous, and the material exceeds the skills of its director, Scottish filmmaker Paul McGuigan.
None of these amoral characters are all that interesting. The only sympathetic character in the bunch is played by the usually irritating Matthew Lillard.
As for Hartnett and Kruger, they're hopelessly bland. And the one solid performance is given by Byrne, who manages to breathe some life into the film. Not that it deserves it . . . .
"Wicker Park" is rated PG-13 for scattered use of strong profanity (including one usage of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), simulated sex, violence (biting, and violence against women), brief drug content (use of prescription sleeping pills), use of crude slang terms and glimpses of nude artwork. Running time: 115 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com