A Guy Thing

A Guy Thing wants so desperately to be a funny thing that it turns into almost nothing at all. This movie is like an annoying party guest who won't go home, although the most loyal devotees of Julia Stiles and Jason Lee are sure to get a few good laughs. Lee's awkwardly cast (and costumed) as a husband-to-be who's about to discover he's fallen in love with the free-spirited cousin (Stiles) of his comparatively straight-laced fiancée (Selma Blair). When all the who's-who gets figured out, this decidedly unromantic comedy shifts into auto-pilot with Lee trapped in a rote series of compromising positions. Every outcome is telegraphed far in advance, and true love takes its course with numbing efficiency. Lee barely squeaks by with his dignity intact; the fact that Stiles emerges buoyantly unscathed is further proof that this beguiling actress is deservedly a star on the rise. --Jeff Shannon