Plot follows a tried(and tired)pattern: aspiring writer in Hollywood, CA works as a tour guide, falls for a starlet who believes he's a professional screenwriter. Of course he can't tell her the truth, she may resent him for leading her on. And so goes what critic Roger Ebert calls The Idiot Plot(i.e., if anyone in the movie simply spoke the obvious, the film would be over). Fortunately, Sherilyn Fenn is pretty and appealing as the actress and, in the lead, Jeremy Piven doesn't overdo his adorableness(he's convincingly shy and winsome while alone with Fenn, and his amiable, slightly flustered mannerisms are reminiscent of a young Gene Wilder). This just misses the mark though. The director shows no creativity, and there's far too much of Alex Rocco in support as Piven's embarrassing father(one scene with this guy gives you all he's got, and the rest is redundant). Apparently unreleasable, the movie has been a cable-TV staple, appearing on The Movie Channel 17 times in one month alone. ** from ****
Review of Just Write
