Metroland

There are few central dramatic conflicts trickier to pull off--or more potentially annoying--than a mid-life crisis. It's rare to find a character who can make a family man's grass-is-always-greener musings into something compelling, but Metroland's Chris Lloyd (Christian Bale) comes close. The narrative centers around the reappearance of Chris's old school chum Toni (Lee Ross), an itinerant would-be writer still living the bohemian rebel life and chiding Chris for his domesticity. The intriguing angle taken here is that Chris's discontent actually springs from his contentment--he feels alienated from his "bourgeois" life because he likes it, though fears he's not supposed to. Interesting ideas which, unfortunately, the film doesn't flesh out, refusing to explore the backgrounds of its characters with enough depth to clarify the conflicts. There's some nice atmosphere to the film, particularly Mark Knopfler's silky score, but it doesn't make up for the ultimate superficiality of yet another story about a horny husband trying to be 21 again. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)