Better Than Sex

In this threadbare romantic comedy, two strangers--Cin (Susie Porter), a Sydney fashion designer, and Josh (David Wenham), a photographer recently returned from London to his native Australia--fall in love while spending three days of supposedly risk-free intimacy in her apartment. The point of writer-director Jonathan Teplitzky's little picture, which blends an oppressively cute narrative of their meeting, the pair's later recollections, and periodic commentary from their “friends” (as well as observations from a mysterious cab driver who discourses on their refusal to commit), is that a long-term relationship is preferable to a one night stand. While that may well be true, the flat, pedestrian conversation and sitcom situations concocted for the couple hardly make a strong argument in support of the notion. And while Porter and Wenham are attractive people, the overly bright photography and emphatic use of close-ups prove distinctly unflattering. There are a few shining moments in Better Than Sex, but as a whole it's a frail, wispy confection that fades very fast. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)