FREAK FILMS: COMMITTED

Heather Graham isn't a great actress, and I doubt I'll find a single reader shocked that I said so. But give Heather her due: Committed is a cute film. Heather plays Joline, a freakishly quirky (re: mentally ill) woman who marries Carl (Luke Wilson), a culinary photographer. Joline takes her vows very seriously. When he walks out on her, she has so much faith in those vows that she decides to track him down to El Paso, Texas and stalk him. Her brother (played by Casey Affleck) is a stoner-type who tracks her down by calling her husband's recent ex-girlfriend, who has become great friends with Joline. Eventually these two hook up with Carl's estranged ex and camp out across from his trailer. If you've ever actually had your own stalker, this brings back memories of some wacky hijinks and a 911 call or two. Did I mention Carl's neighbor, Neil (Goran Visnjic of E.R.), makes a pinata that looks like her and does stuff to it while she watches? Apparently there's not a lot to do in El Paso. This movie was taken straight out of the Indie Filmmakers' Bible; you won't find anything groundbreaking here. Even the indie guitar-driven soundtrack is already a Hal Hartley cliché. However, as I have said, this film is cute. I didn't loathe it. And unlike the other films I've reviewed, this one isn't subtitled, doesn't have to be delivered in a brown wrapper, has not a single internal organ draped upon anything on a single frame and won't induce vomiting in Heath Ledger fans. Readers, I will never do you this favor again.