PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS — * 1/2 — Elizabeth Reaser, Justin Kirk, Gretchen Mol; not rated, probable PG-13 (vulgarity, sex, profanity, nude art).
Thankfully, "Puccini for Beginners" isn't quite as exploitative as you might expect for a movie about a bisexual love triangle. But that's about all the credit this flat-footed, would-be screwball comedy gets.
"Puccini" is continually comparing itself to other, better movie comedies — among them, the 1938 classic "Bringing Up Baby" — which is a disastrously bad decision.
And so was the casting of actress Elizabeth Reaser (TV's "Grey's Anatomy") as the film's lead. Reaser looks eerily like a cross between better-known actresses Andie MacDowell and Heather Graham, and has some of the same performance stiffness.
Reaser stars as Allegra, a struggling New York writer with serious commitment issues. Allegra has just been dumped by her girlfriend (Julianne Nicholson) and now finds herself in an interesting dating predicament. She's started seeing Philip (Justin Kirk), a graduate student who's also had some recent relationship turmoil.
She's also gotten involved with Grace (Gretchen Mol), an investment banker experimenting with her sexuality. Unbeknownst to Allegra, longtime couple Philip and Grace recently broke up, and both are falling hard for her.
Screenwriter/director Maria Maggenti continually finds ways to keep these characters from finding out about Allegra's duplicity, but the plot contrivances feel false.
Also, Allegra is pretty unlikable. And it doesn't help that Reaser looks a bit lost here.
Maggenti's characterizations are inconsistent at best. Mol plays Grace as a bit of a ditz — apparently as an homage to movie-comedy queen Carole Lombard. But none of the situations she finds herself in are very amusing.
"Puccini for Beginners" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for crude sexual humor and references, simulated sex (mostly overheard), scattered profanity, and glimpses of nude art. Running time: 82 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com