Nothing Sacred

Running time: N/A

Darin yearns for Matt's one-night stand lifestyle and ability to leave a date because she reads John Grisham novels. Matt moves from woman to woman and thinks Darin's marriage and stability are a precious commodity. And then there's Kevin. Poor Kevin. A unique case altogether: someone who would pay $20,000 no, make that $50,000 to sleep with the jeans ad model from the bus stop poster. Each is at an impasse in life. But Darin thinks he's found the answer to his ''problem'' from a job offer in Berlin. His wife, Natalie, has no desire to go, however, leaving Darin with a plethora of possibilities, especially the tempting role as philanderer and lover to his wife's friend, Max. Meanwhile, ''babe magnet'' Matt meets waifish Anja, for whom he falls head over heels crazy when she adores his sleeping with a teddy bear, yet summarily refuses further dates. ''And Kevin?'' you ask. He continues to live his life through Matt's sexual exploits. Set in San Francisco, Nothing Sacred is not just another average ''guys sitting around'' genre film but a cleverly tuned dark comedy about the nothing existence we all experience. Strong performances from Paul Provenza (Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile), John Gloria and Stephen Dunham (to whom Variety refers as the ''big discovery'') complement a smart, funny script by newcomers David Elliot and Mark Huppin. --Mike Rabehl