Watch It

Stars: Peter Gallagher (The Player, sex, lies and videotape), Jon Tenney (TV's "Equal Justice"), John C. McGinley (Wall Street, Platoon), Suzy Amis (Rich in Love). "All men are jerks," says one of the female characters in this often witty sleeper about thirtysomethings whose party days are coming to a close. Prime examples of jerkhood are the four main male characters: John (Peter Gallagher), who moves in with housemates Michael (Jon Tenney), Rick (John C. McGinley) and Danny (Tom Sizemore). The film's title comes from the ongoing game of practical jokes which the housemates play on each other. Although the boys' shenanigans provide some uneven comic moments, Watch It's real strength lies in its relatively strong lead characters. There's John, who touches off the central conflict when he takes up with Michael's former girlfriend Anne (Suzy Amis). And Rick, a big-mouth who pontificates on what makes girls tick and why he's immune to it all, until he finds himself falling in love with Ellen (Cynthia Stevenson) and flounders once his ladies' man reputation is on the line. The crossed paths in the relationships make for some pretty volatile dialogue and Gallagher, McGinley, and Amis in particular are all equal to the challenge of bringing new life to old situations. To some extent the males in Watch It do manage to raise themselves beyond the level of jerkhood during the course of the film--they don't exactly make dinner or wash the dishes, but some of them learn that love is an investment: you've got to put something in to get something back out. Audience: Most will be pleasantly surprised by this cleverly written battle between the sexes.