PeachHamBeach Not the greatest or most original story of all time, but curiously sweet and engaging story about a long lost first crush and surprise reunion. I have said previously that I thought Jesse Bradford was a bad actor, but while I still don't think he's spectacular, I think he is very cute and did a great job in this film. (The film I was so harsh about was the awful SWIMFAN. It was just a horrendous film all around, and probably not Bradford's fault at all, since the film had quite a few good actors that I normally enjoy.) The rest of the cast is even better, including Mia Kirshner, Brad Rowe, Adam Goldberg, David Krumholtz, Shane Edelman (who also directed I believe), Marissa Ribisi, Precious Chong and in a smallish role, Giovanni Ribisi. I had wanted to see the film for several years due to my admiration for Marissa Ribisi and her films. She co-wrote this film, which began life with the title THE MAILROOM. I also really loved her first co-written project, SOME GIRL. I miss these small, low-profile indie comedies and I hope she will give us more of her talent soon.

Amy Adler Spencer (Jesse Bradford) moves to Los Angeles to start anew. Unexpectly, he runs into (literally!) a car driven by a girl, Melora (Mia Kershner), from his home town who he has admired for years. Voila! She also works at the same advertising firm where Spencer has just signed on as a mail clerk. However, there are complications. To begin, Melora has an on again, off again relationship with a big ad man from the same company. Also, Spencer has a room in an old mansion owned by a gay male couple, who may need him to star in their film project. It is X-rated! Does Spencer have a chance with the lady of his dreams? For those who love old fashioned love stories, this one is a good one! The two stars are wonderfully attractive and funny and the bizarre stream of characters that inhabit the film hit the funny bone, too. The costumes are a bit dismal but the local scenery is very nice. However, a word of caution is advised. There is some racy dialogue pertaining to the gay couple and their pornographic film. While the number of minutes devoted to them is small, those who like good clean fun may be offended. Nonetheless, this film shoots an almost-straight arrow at the heart of those who cherish the timeless tale of love.

stellakirby There are elements of this film that surpass the "typical chick-flick" genre. What shines in this picture are the smaller roles and the writing. Marissa Ribisi and Precious Chong give amazing performances in the "film-within-a-film," and Florence Stanley is, as usual, brilliant. Yes, it is a treat for the "I could watch Jesse brush his teeth" set, but nothing beats David Krumholtz in his underwear. Even when he's not singing.

Bob Verini The stale premise - an innocent youth comes to the big city and against all odds wins the career and girl of his dreams - is not made fresher by such devices as a deceased grandma who keeps showing up to offer sage advice. (The only point of marginal interest is the script's limp switcheroo on "The Apartment": Here, it's the junior executive (Kirshner) who's involved with the boss, while the torch-carrying schnook is working class.) In "King of the Hill" Jesse Bradford had enough charisma to carry a film, a quality that appears to have receded as puberty set in. Or maybe he just gets poor career advice. Certainly he is ill served by drek like "SwimFan," "Speedway Junky," and this one. . . In a subplot tied with the thinnest of threads to the main story, Spencer's roommates (David Krumholtz and Adam Goldberg) are holed up in a mansion they evidently and unaccountably own, attempting to make an amateur porn film. Watching their mirthless antics I was reminded of the efforts of supporting players Abbott and Costello to shine as a team in "One Night in the Tropics," except neither Krumholtz nor Goldberg would qualify as "the funny one." Even the title is off - Spencer is a clueless naif who never expresses any view of life that would qualify as "according to." The picture seems intended as a lighthearted romp among friends, but the results are just heavy, predictable, and dull.