No Looking Back

Edward Burns' third film did not restore the buzz that greeted his auspicious (if overrated) debut, The Brothers McMullen; a buzz that promptly deserted him after his second film, She's the One, wasn't. In a departure, No Looking Back has at its center not testosterone-driven brothers, but a woman. Lauren Holly stars as Claudia, a seaside small-town waitress torn between Michael (Jon Bon Jovi), her stable boyfriend who wants to marry her, and Charlie (Burns), her first love who abandoned her three years before, but now wants to "start over." To Burn's credit, he has a good ear; his scripts don't substitute pop culture references for character development. But the stereotypical "beautiful women love creeps" conceit tries the audience's patience, and Claudia loses our sympathy when she doesn't immediately dump a bowl of hot soup over the irresponsible, self-absorbed Charlie's head. An optional purchase. (K. Lee Benson)