[6]

Lili Taylor and River Phoenix star in this ‘all in one night’ drama about a marine who participates in a dirty game where men try to win a betting pool by bringing the homeliest woman to a dance. Taylor has a juicy part and makes the most of it. Her character goes from innocently optimistic, to angry, to forlorn, and back again — and Taylor makes all the moments feel genuine. Phoenix, who was usually pretty terrific in his earlier films, seems ‘off’ here. Afraid to commit, perhaps. As much as I’m a fan, I think he holds the movie back a bit. Director Nancy Savoca does a great job evoking San Francisco on the eve of the Vietnam War. The film is so intimate and focused, that when it crosses the Pacific and skips forward in time during the last ten minutes or so, the overall impact is lessened. But see it for Taylor, and see it for dealing with subject matter — namely, sexism as a male passtime — that is unfortunately just as relevant as ever.