Claire Danes, Lena Olin, Gabriel Byrne
Poor Lena Olin. In this irritatingly whimsical romantic comedy, she vamps about in one of those oversexed earth-mother roles that actresses adore but which too often come off onscreen as overheated ham. Here she plays a sexy Polish cleaning woman who lives crammed into a duplex in Detroit with her five children and passive husband (Byrne), a baker. When not getting it on lasciviously with a businessman amidst the scouring brushes on the floor of the office lavatory she's cleaning, Olin is ardently declaring, "Making life and love, that's my religion." Her teenage daughter (Danes, who's pouty) has it worse, since she is slated to lead the local church's Festival of the Virgin parade but inconveniently finds herself pregnant.
Tyro director-writer Theresa Connelly clearly meant her movie to be wacky, heartfelt ethnic fun, like Moonstruck. It's not. (PG-13)
Bottom Line: RSVP yes at your own risk
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