SEEING OTHER PEOPLE
Directed by: Wallace Wolodarsky.
Produced by: Gavin Polone.
Written by: Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky.
Director of Photography: Mark Doering-Powell.
Edited by: Stewart Schill.
Music by: Alan Elliott.
Released by: Lantern Lane Entertainment.
Country of Origin: USA. 90 min. Not Rated.
With: Jay Mohr, Julianne Nicholson & Andy Richter.

Alice (Julianne Nicholson) and Ed (Jay Mohr), are a happy engaged young couple. They play board games, do the dishes together; he flosses while she goes to the potty. Yes, everything is fine and dandy - until the night of their engagement party when, as in a perfectly imagined sitcom, Alice accidentally gets stuck in the closet while two people have anonymous sex on her sister's bed. Instead of sharing her embarrassment with her fiancé and just laughing it off, Alice laments not having more of a sexual history herself. She decides that she and Ed should sleep with other people - and share their experiences(!) - before they walk down the aisle. Ed, showing he is somewhat sane, initially refuses. Unfortunately, Alice persists, and Ed reluctantly agrees - he doesn't believe she could ever go through with it. Eager to prove, however, that she too can be wild and spontaneous, Alice picks up the first cute guy who crosses her path. Pretty soon Alice begins spending less and less time with Ed, who becomes jealous and begins having liaisons of his own.

Instead of turning this film into a cheesy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (a likely possibility, given the outlandish plot), writers Forbes (TV's The Larry Sanders Show) and Wolodarsky (The Simpsons) have thankfully created a unique romantic comedy that is full of heart and heartache. Touching performances by Mohr (Jerry Maguire) and Nicholson (Tully) make this movie endearing. Mohr does a fabulous job blending male ego with vulnerability, while Nicholson brings a sweet naiveté to Alice. Look for some surprise cameos and hilarious subplots featuring Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), Josh Charles (Sports Night), and Malcolm in the Middle's patriarch, Bryan Cranston, who steals his every scene. Tanya Chesterfield
May 6, 2004