Grind

Or, The Postman Only Rings Once, And The Doorbell's Broken Anyway. In this variation on James M. Cain's classic novel, the drifter who comes between a married couple happens to be the husband's kid brother, Eddie (Billy Crudup of Sleepers, in his film debut), an aspiring race car driver who's just been released from prison, after serving a short stretch for impersonating James Dean. (No, not really.) Unlike most mediocre films, which tend to begin promisingly but peter out long before the climax, Grind actually gets better as it goes along. The premise is too familiar, and the forbidden love shared by Eddie and Janey (Hal Hartley alumna Adrienne Shelly) is less than powerfully affecting; but the final half, which concentrates on the relationship between Eddie and his brother, Terry (Laws of Gravity's Paul Shulze), is keenly observed and ultimately quite moving. Too bad getting there is such a, well, grind. Not a necessary purchase. (M. D'Angelo)