The Object of Beauty

Jake (John Malkovich) and Tina (Andie MacDowell) are a pair of modern cads in this lighthearted morality play about money. Living in a posh London hotel, Jake and Tina are waiting for one of Jake's import/export deals to bear fruit while they enjoy the high life. Unfortunately, their credit is becoming a little thin. Debating over whether to sell Tina's original Henry Moore statuette, the decision becomes moot when the cleaning lady pilfers it. Tina accuses Jake of having sold it, Jake accuses Tina of having hidden it, and romance takes a definite backseat to money squabbles. For the most part, The Object of Beauty is much ado about nothing, and wouldn't even rate a second glance, except for the charismatic acting of the stars. Malkovich and MacDowell nearly raise fighting about money to an art form. Still, not taking into account the excellent leads, the film is a basic comedy of errors that breaks no new ground. An optional purchase. (R. Pitman)