Fresh Horses

We know things aren't right between lovebirds Matt (McCarthy) and Alice (Peacock) when he turns up late for his engagement party. A conventional guy, training for a conventional career, Matt is having a crisis of faith, and only bourbon-drinking, dishevelled Jewel (Ringwald) can help him. While Alice talks about wedding china, Matt enjoys secret assignations with Jewel in a trackside shack. She's lower class, been abused, a high school dropout. Matt is appalled, attracted, confused, and has an uncontrollable urge to correct her syntax. Wordily scripted by Larry Ketron from his own play, this tortured attempt to sustain the bratpack formula fails dismally. Ringwald's performance is fine, but McCarthy suffers unconvincingly, with exaggerated looks and pauses to convey inner torment; the contrast between urban and rustic values is forced; and there's no real emotional depth in the lead character's tedious, muddled excesses.