_A_Cool,_Dry_Place_ (PG-13) ** (out of ****)
_Cool_: Vince Vaughn, whose charisma is at full, effective force as Russ Durrell, a lawyer who moves to a small Kansas town with his young son Calvin (Bobby Moat) after being fired from his big-time Chicago firm. The casting of the slick Vaughn as a caring single dad is a stretch, but it's one he pulls off quite well, unlike his recent strained effort as _Psycho_'s Norman Bates. As written, Russ is a good parent, and Vaughn's surprising warmth with Moat is convincing. But he's not a perfect parent, and Vaughn works in more comfortable territory in brining to clear life Russ's rougher, darker edges, such as a quick temper.
_Dry_: The movie itself. Despite some solid acting by Vaughn, Monica Potter, and Joey Lauren Adams, there is no escaping the movie-of-the-week trappings of Matthew McDuffie's script (based on Michael Grant Jaffe's novel _Dance_Real_Slow_, which, if it bears any resemblance to the film, is aptly named): Russ's romance with local woman Beth (Adams) and bond with Calvin is threatened by both the reappearance of his estranged wife Kate (Potter) and his hotshot career aspirations. The film ends in exactly the manner one would expect, with John N. Smith's lethargic direction doing nothing in the way of generating suspense. It's hardly surprising that Fox literally snuck this one into theatres with no press screenings and virtually no promotion; the film was made with equally as much energy, or lack thereof.
Michael Dequina
mrbrown@iname.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com
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