this overheat southern gothic mellerdramer have a few decent moment but be too often spoil by a novice director pile cliché upon cliché and and a star who apparently decide to take it upon himself to turn the picture into his personal showcase and rather than allow writer or director gabel to update inge or williams a a sort of contemporary midnight cowboy meet lolita tearjerker . close your eye and listen to the exaggerated southern accent and and try to decide if youre witness a feature film and or an acting class full of eager amateur . johansson be for once tolerable ( i. e. less pouty than usual ) though by no mean good and macht be decent and though a little too pretty boy cute to be believe and and travolta chew the scenery a never before ( with the help of a decent editor and some directorial restraint and his performance might have be really touch while a it be and he and almost everyone else be too unlikable to ever move u past the point of boredom or revulsion ) . kara unger be perhaps best of all while have her role be develop beyond a few line and she might have even find herself with a best supporting actress nomination . pic be almost save by leonard cohen style growl theme song and decent production design and location and and continual reference to literary work ( which have earn the otherwise standard screenplay review such a poetic . ) also helpful be a few old pro in the cast like sonny shroyer and and perhaps most importantly and soderbergh cameraman elliot davis whose fine work will no doubt be credit to the first time director and who and ten or twenty year from now and may actually learn how to direct . but probably not .