Three of Hearts

Written by: Adam Greenman and Mitch Glazer Starring: William Baldwin, Kelly Lynch, Sherilyn Fenn, Joe Pantoliano

Kind of a good-looks festival of a film, with the three stars lighting up the screen. Actually, this is a picture that just misses. There's something deeper and more telling struggling to get out, but it doesn't quite make it. Nearly a meditation on friendship and love, it settles for being a romantic comedy of manners, albeit an offbeat one. If I had to pick a reason, it would be the way Fenn's character is written. She's great looking, sure, but that doesn't seem enough to explain the profound attraction she holds for the other two. She's just a good-looking kewpie doll, which is a shame because the writers make Lynch's Connie a real--and very appealing--character, which proves they are capable of doing so. In the end, the picture is watchable, but far less than profound. Pantoliano is terrific in what would normally be the Harvey Keitel character. I give the picture credit for at least going for the dark side, and extra credit for refusing to indulge in a Hollywood-pabulum happy ending. Near miss. (5/6/93)