About Adam (2001)

Written & Directed by Gerard Stembridge
Starring Stuart Townsend, Kate Hudson, Frances O'Connor, Charlotte Bradley, Rosaleen Linehan

My Advice: Wait for Cable.

Lucy (Hudson) is a young girl in Dublin you appears to belong to the Boyfriend of the Month Club. Or maybe week--her family can never be sure. She's just gotten off of a bad relationship with stand-up comedian Simon (Tommy Tiernan), and she just doesn't think she'll ever be able to settle down. Just then, into her life walks Adam (Townsend), and her entire world gets shaken up. Not only is Lucy crazy about him, but the family seems to approve. But the question becomes--are they doing more than approving? There's bookish and sensitive Laura (O'Connor), the married and unhappy Alice (Bradley) and even the desperately-needs-to-get-laid David (Alan Maher). What are they--and Adam--up to?

It sounds amusing enough--that a guy could work his wiles on as many women as he wants. In fact, it seems like several articles from FHM all rolled up into one. At least just reading the articles would have been a lot more entertaining. It's not even that the concept--that three sisters would so enjoy getting shagged that they would keep it from each other--is a bit much; in romantic comedy, rules for reality don't necessarily apply completely. It's not even what I expect some would find offense in--that women sometimes need to get laid in order to get their lives in order. I'll let somebody else go off and debate that in a corner.

No, my problem with the film is much more basic: it's just not particularly funny. There are three really good laughs in the entire film, and that's coming in a bit under quota for a decent comedy. But there are plenty of simply decent comedies out there--what makes this one less satisfying than most is that its resolution is too pat and too shallow for the amount of time we've invested. I'm not saying I want full disclosure about the characters and their lives, but at least don't let me walk away from the film feeling like I've wasted my time. About the only thing to commend the film are the performances of the three sisters, who do the best they can with the material they're given. Hudson's accent didn't offend the ear, either, which always helps.

All in all, if it comes on cable and there's nothing else on, I wouldn't advise you to flee--but I wouldn't exactly go and seek this one out, either.