Film

If your knee-jerk reaction is “Oh, god, another Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy,” you’re in for a few surprises. Whether that’s good news or not is a toss-up. While on a business trip, Sue (Aniston) stays at a nondescript motel where the night manager Mike (Zahn) pursues her with awkward ardor, bringing “complimentary” Champagne to her room and generally hanging around in hopes that something (he seems a bit vague on what) will happen between them. Something does, and he spends the rest of the movie pursuing her around the country like one of those dogs left behind by its master. Whether you find Mike inept but charming or creepily stalkerish probably says a lot about you—Zahn does what he can, but it’s a tricky balancing act.

Rather than a romantic comedy, writer/director Belber seems to be trying to make a cinematic novel of education, in which Mike grows up through a series of adventures (skydiving and Buddhism figure prominently). But he’s mounted those ideas on the chassis of a rom-com, with Harrelson as the weird boyfriend Sue clearly ought to dump in favor of Mike. Belber never quite manages that mix, but heck, at least he tries to color a bit outside the lines.