The Alarmist

David Arquette stars as a smiling doofus who has an unexpected knack for selling home security systems to ordinary folks. His shady boss (Stanley Tucci) develops a fatherly affection for him, which gets in the way after Arquette's character discovers that the older man stages phony break-ins to raise his customer base in the area. Also competing for Arquette's soul are an attractive, middle-aged single mom (Kate Capshaw) with whom he has a fling, and the attentions of an appealing (if crooked) coworker (Mary McCormack). Something's got to give in this unwieldy equation, and when it does, bad things happen to some while the hero's vengeance is visited on others. This film by Evan Dunsky is lumpy in inspiration, and some of the actors (particularly Tucci) have a hard time finding and sticking with a common tone. But there are pockets of choice material here, particularly Arquette and Capshaw's awkward (and comic) visit to his parents and a long, funny-scary climax in which the bond between Tucci and Arquette is severely tested. --Tom Keogh