In the Spirit

At a time when alternative, holistic medicine is rampaging its ugly way through every town in the world, this satirical swipe at all things new-age comes as a welcome antidote. When a prostitute is killed, a chalk-and-cheese pair of women (one worldly, one fey) set about tracking down her killer, using the notorious 'netherworlds' as their unreliable guide. Deftly scripted by Jeannie Berlin, In the Spirit is packed with acerbic gibes which deflate the air-headed arrogance of such leading new-agers as Shirley MacLaine. Berlin and Dukakis are fab in the lead roles, Peter Falk is rip-roaring in a sadly brief cameo, and Melanie Griffith is hardly on screen at all.