Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking is a pleasant, relationship-lite sleeper, written and directed by newcomer Adam Park. While the film is slow out of the gate, this "comedy about love, destiny and what happened to trust in the '90s" has got believable characters, good performances, and a tasty soundtrack. While it would be a tad much calling the film Rashomon-like, it does tell the story of the dissolution of a romance from the differing viewpoints of three of the interested parties. The center of this triptych is the relationship between Maxie (James LeGros), a commitment-phobic dreamer whose wacky inventions (e.g., combination toothpick and flavored dental floss) amuse, but ultimately fail to impress, his commitment-anxious girlfriend Elizabeth (Jennifer Beals). Enter movie theater ticket-taker Lena (Drew Barrymore), who has designs on her old friend Maxie, and who schemes to introduce jealousy into Maxie's and Elizabeth's already strained relationship in the form of an old flame of Elizabeth's. While it'll win no awards, Wishful Thinking is cleverly written and nicely directed, suggesting that Park is a talent to be watched. Recommended. (S. C. Nickles)