Committed

COMMITTED (2000) **1/2 Heather Graham, Casey Affleck, Luke Wilson, Goran Visnjic,Patricia Velasquez, Summer Phoenix, Clea Duvall, Kim Dickens, Alfonso Arau, Mary Kay Place.

They say marriage is an institution and to paraphrase the retort to that one-liner, `And I'm much too young for an institution' (BA DUM DUM!) In filmmaker Lisa Krueger's sophomore effort she proves you don't have to be crazy to be married but it helps.

Joline (the fetching Graham) is a concert promoter for a small venue in New York City whose 2 year marriage to budding photojournalist Carl (Wilson, in another variation of his corn-pone dudes) is facing a `crisis of faith' when Carl inexplicably deserts her while traveling on business leaving her to come to terms even when she throws a birthday party for him (`it's been 8 months since his last one' she states matter-of-factly) inviting all their good friends and her brother Jay (Affleck) who tries to help her with a postcard from Carl indicating he's more or less out west trying to get his thing together. Taking this as a cue to get her man back and salvage their relationship she rents a car and embarks to the desert landscapes of America enduring many hardships (including a drive by robbery attempt while fixing a flat tire with humorous results) and inspired sleuthing (she literally holds up the postcard with it's visage of a cactus trying to hone in exactly where Carl sent it from!)

By a fluke of good luck Joline discovers her estranged spouse working in El Paso for the local paper but learns his dream of being a passionate artist has gone unexplored since he's still shooting stills of food. Pacing herself (and fooling herself in the process) to wait for the right moment to spring herself upon him she follows him back to his dusty new dwelling on a border town existence and sits in her car waiting in the heat.

Along for the wait is Carl's next-door-neighbor, Neil, a hunky outspoken artist (played by `ER's resident sex symbol Visnjic) who immediately hits upon his newly found friend and possible sexual conquest. In no uncertain terms he sits next to her car in a fold out chair, sipping from a thermos and speaking his thoughts to her; specifically what he'd like to do with her. Joline doesn't seem entirely fazed by this but doesn't dissuade his charm. What works in this deceptively clever screwball comedy is the wide-eyed intensity of Graham, the latest independent film queen, who just seems to get bigger and better (she was a riot in last year's hysterical Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy Hollywood sendup `Bowfinger') whose determination to do anything to keep her marriage intact despite all odds against her is something of a small marvel in witnessing someone slowly sink into desperation and borderline madness for the one they love.

Krueger, whose `Manny & Lo' from several years ago was the darling of The Sundance Film Festival, has some of Jonathan Demme's panache in depicting everyday characters in unlikely situations with the air of menace about them but allowing them to remiain intact even if it seems bleak.

Also noteworthy are sexy newcomer Velasquez as Carmen, Carl's would-be new girlfiend, a Mexican waitress who fast becomes Joline's good friend, suggests a silkier version of Sandra Bullock, and director Arau (`Like Water For Chocolate') - making a rare acting appearance - as Carmen's mystical grandfather who guides the addled Joline not unlike a Zen Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi via a ritualistic guideline of luring her man back. And I especially liked one of the sexiest scenes I've seen in years when Visnjic tells Graham to close her eyes and unbeknownst to her lets his hand travel hover across the countours of her sexy outline while Glenn Campbell's classic `The Wichita Lineman' plays quietly from her blistering car; magical.

The only problem with the film is there aren't that many gut-busting scenes but then again this isn't exactly supposed to be `The Naked Gun'. It only falters near its end when Joline finds herself literally the title of the film. Until then it's a nicely paced journey of self-discovery in realizing that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.