Shape of Things' lacks form

By Nicole Rodriguez

What would you do if you couldn't find the man of your dreams? If you're Eve, the main character in Focus Features' "The Shape of Things," you set out to create him for yourself.

Premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the latest work from writer/director Neil LaBute ("Nurse Betty") stars Paul Rudd ("Clueless") as college student Adam, the unlikely object of Eve's affection. While Eve (Rachel Weisz from "About a Boy") is beautiful and outgoing, Adam is chubby and insecure.

The pairing seems odd to Adam's friends, but he is so thrilled to have a woman finally see him as more than a platonic friend that he clings to his relationship with Eve - even as his friends begin to think that she is going from mildly bizarre to plain creepy as she begins to shape Adam's physical appearance in every way possible - from his clothing to hair cut and eventually, even his nose.

Of course these changes turn the head of Adam's former crush, Jenny ("Girls Club's" Gretchen Mol), and despite the fact that she is engaged to Adam's frat boy best friend ("The Business of Strangers'" Fred Weller), it becomes apparent that eventually Adam is going to have to make a choice between the sweet girl he's always loved and the exciting woman who made him loveable.

This isn't the first time that LaBute has tackled this subject matter. In fact, "The Shape of Things" was originally an off-Broadway play also written and directed by LaBrute and featuring the same cast. And herein lies the inherent problem of this film. Instead of translating his play to a movie, it appears that LaBute has done little more than film a production of his play with a few added set changes.

Although Rudd does provide the audience with a few touching moments as the film wears on, the majority of the acting is over done - a tactic which is necessary in theater when you are playing to a large audience, but melodramatic and ultimately cheesy when you're acting for the screen.

This same lack of distinction between theater and film constitutes the rest of the film's problems, particularly the fact that it relies too heavily on dialogue to get the story across. Far too many of the scenes are little more than characters sitting and talking, which causes the film to drag in portions that should be considered interesting in this type of romantic comedy/drama.

This being said, it is also obvious that LaBute is a great writer. The story is original, the dialogue is generally witty and the characters are believable enough for a film of this genre. Even more commendable is LaBute's ending, which provides the audience with a fresh twist that honestly nobody can see coming. There is no doubt that this must have been a terrific play and that this cast had the potential to be terrific in it.

However, the film adaptation is desperately in need of a fresh point of view, and it is obvious that "The Shape of Things" would have been a much better movie if LaBute had shaped the script to take advantage of the visual opportunities filmmaking offers and cast himself a new quartet of actors who weren't already set in portraying these characters