Just a Kiss

"This is one of those terrible mistakes," says a man before he administers the illicit kiss that sets what passes for a plot in motion. And the same can be said for this insufferable independent film directed by actor Fisher Stevens which follows the amorous couplings of a menagerie of characters--among them a womanizing director of commercials, an actor whose claim to fame is being the Peanut Butter Eagle in one of those commercials, a psychic bowling alley bartender and dominatrix, and a suicidal ballerina--most of whom are either unsympathetic or vastly trying to a viewer's patience. The dialogue strains for glibness, the tone veers from comedy (weak) to drama (too heavy), and--most intrusive--the style is gimmicky, featuring the periodic but-to-no-purpose use of the computerized animation technique (introduced in the groundbreaking Waking Life) that transforms the actors (with Kyra Sedgwick and Marisa Tomei being the most recognizable names in the cast) into animated characters. At one point, a character remarks that moviegoing should be a life-or-death experience. Well, watching this movie is a fate worse than death. Not recommended. (K. Lee Benson)