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Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Sam Jaeger, Fiona Shaw, Juliette Lewis. Romantic Comedy/Drama. Written and Directed by Susannah Grant.

FILM SYNOPSIS: After the sudden death of her fiancé, Gray Wheeler (Jennifer Garner) finds comfort in the company of his friends: lighthearted and comic Sam (Kevin Smith), hyper-responsible Dennis (Sam Jaeger), and, oddly enough, his old childhood buddy Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), an irresponsible playboy whom she’d previously pegged as one of the least reliable people in the world. As secrets about her supposedly perfect fiancé emerge, Gray comes to see new sides of the man she thought she knew, and at the same time finds herself drawn to the last man she ever expected to fall for.

PREVIEW REVIEW: It’s The Big Chill- lite. There are some good things, including nice performances, especially from Juliette Lewis, as well as beautiful locations, the mountains and valleys of Colorado looking like they popped out of a Hemingway novel, and a compelling concept that is both humorous and at times touching. But it’s not quite the grownup movie it wants to be. Indeed, some of the funniest moments seemed more geared to the eight-year-old sitting behind me. I expected a touch more depth from writer-director Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich).

But what truly deserves attention is the film’s shallow attitude concerning morality and premarital sex. Here sex seems to be used as therapy. People feel bad over the loss of a friend or fiancé, so they jump in the sack. In one case, a couple (complete strangers) has sex in a bathroom, with the lead in a “comical” situation as she has hid out in this very bathroom. Having taken refuge in the sanctuary of the curtain-covered bathtub, she overhears the copulating couple.

This isn’t meant to be judgmental, but our society in general looks upon sexuality as merely a bodily function. That’s true for animals, but there is something bonding about the act between two people that causes it to rise above the functions of eating or relieving oneself. It has been blessed by God between husband and wife. It is the most intimate moment a person can have with another, so intercourse deserves a certain homage. It is not to be taken lightly. Yet, it is here. The people portrayed in this film are those who attend church services when they marry and when they bury. That’s about it. So questions of morality for them are made only from a human perspective. God’s input is never considered.

Distributor: Columbia Pictures