The Dying Gaul

On one level, The Dying Gaul, writer-director Craig Lucas' adaptation of his own play, is a romantic triangle with a gay twist, while on another it's a commentary about artistic and personal integrity. The basically three-character piece, set in the mid-‘90s, involves a married couple—a Hollywood studio executive (Campbell Scott) and his wife (Patricia Clarkson)—and an outsider (Peter Sarsgaard), a playwright with a screenplay based on the death of his gay lover. The executive loves the script, but explains that it can't possibly be produced unless the couple is heterosexual, and the playwright not only has to rewrite the piece—a sell-out that makes him feel even guiltier—but also must deal with complications that arise when he and the bisexual (as it turns out) executive start an affair. The situation doesn't escape the notice of the wife, who logs onto the writer's chat room and convinces him that she's actually his dead lover—a new twist on the old scenario of the woman scorned. While an unhappy ending is all too predictable, it's also impossible to empathize with the characters, due in part to the overly artsy cinematography, which creates a cold, antiseptic ambience that leaves the picture emotionally remote. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)