Nobody's Fool

The opening track on Cassie (Arquette), in drifty Thrift shop layers puffing at a dandelion clock, may activate fears that Frodo is in the offing, but hang in there. Buckeye Basin - motto: to be or not to be ain't much of a choice - is a cartoon of tank-town half-life. Seen through this perspective, Cassie's kookiness is a touching attempt to keep her dreams alive. Happily, a travelling Shakespeare theatre comes to town, along with hunky set designer Riley (Roberts, improved). The film, full of extraordinary images, seldom slips off its playful perch, and when it does there's always Arquette to cope with the Brautigans. A Shelley Duvall for the '80s, her blend of vulnerability and physical comedy could charm you into believing anything. Delightful.