I WANT SOMEONE TO EAT CHEESE WITH — ** — Jeff Garlin, Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt; rated R (vulgarity, profanity, brief nudity, brief sex)
"I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" deserves some credit for casting chubby, slovenly Jeff Garlin as an improbable romantic lead. Of course, that's explainable, since Garlin wrote and directed the film as well.
He also traded on favors to get some of his comedian and actor friends to appear in his movie in supporting roles, including Dan Castellaneta, Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt, Richard Kind, Amy Sedaris and Gina Gershon.
Unfortunately, they're not enough to make the film more than merely watchable.
This is a film that can't quite decide if it wants to be a show-business spoof, a romantic comedy or an embarrassment comedy along the lines of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (in which Garlin co-stars).
Garlin plays James Aaron, an improv comedian and would-be actor. Nearing 40, he still lives with his mother (Mina Kolb) and has a real weight problem. He even sneaks out of an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and heads to an ice cream parlor.
That's where he meets Beth (Silverman), a woman who flirts with James, but whose passive-aggressive tendencies leave him completely confused.
This is pretty much three movies in one, and only one of them really holds our interest. The subplot about James' odd romance with Beth — as well as his more casual relationship with a schoolteacher (Hunt) — does have some charm. (The tart-tongued Silverman makes her scenes R-rated, however.)
Also, the film keeps referencing the classic Paddy Chayefsky stage play/movie "Marty," with which Garlin's character is preoccupied. And frankly, you might wish you were watching that instead of this this.
"I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" is rated R for some frank sexual language (references, including slang, as well as some strong profanity), brief veiled nudity, and some brief sex. Running time: 80 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com