There's not much to do in the small town of Butterface Fields, and Andy (Bridges) has done nothing with his life. He feels like he's losing his son (Linz) to his ex's (Tripplehorn) rich new husband (Weber). He needs an achievement of his own. So he gathers his motley bunch of friends (Nelson, Pantoliano, Fichtner and Danson) with the idea that they make a porn movie. Of course, nothing goes as planned, from casting to filming to the premier itself.

Traeger's idea shows so much promise that we aggressively want the film to work. He also creates a superb gang of comical characters, most of whom are extremely well-played by the strong cast. Standouts are Pantoliano's loser writer-director and Headley's lonely heart. Where the film stumbles is in the fact that Traeger aims for a sweet, innocent tone where the subject matter screams for black, vicious comedy. This should really be Bad Santa, not Christmas With the Kranks.

For a film about amateur porn, it's ridiculous to shy so strongly away from both sex and nudity. An overwhelmingly embarrassed, prudish attitude completely undermines the story and characters. It's like a 10-year-old trying to pretend he's an adult, without knowing what he's talking about. All of the humour is sniggering innuendo and silly euphemisms, and the gags are merely goofy and corny, without any sense of irony or wit. Worst, perhaps, is the fake ignorance in Bridges' narration, in which he pretends to know far too little about filmmaking.

And there's more: Traeger seems to wallow (and revel) in the misery of these hapless losers. Brief moments of joy are followed by contrived frustration and endless humiliation (not to mention subtle misogyny, racism and homophobia). These characters never get a break. It's not real life disappointment; they're being tortured by the Great Screenwriter In The Sky. It's just too much. And the appallingly sloppy, moralistic finale doesn't rescue it.

themes, language, innuendo

3.Apr.06