Imperfect Posey

Indie darling Parker Posey can do no wrong, at least that's the conventional wisdom chorus. I tend to agree, but even she couldn't salvage "Broken English," which enjoyed a brief theatrical run before hitting DVD last month. Caught up with it this weekend and it took a Herculean effort to stay awake.

Posey plays a 30-something single gal named Nora who can't meet the right guy. Already, we're in unchartered dramatic waters, right? She finally finds a decent fellow, a passionate French man (cliche alert), but he's heading back to Paris within a few days.

Will Nora follow him to France? Is he as good a guy as she thinks? By the end I doubt anyone will care.

Her best friend (Drea de Matteo) is unhappily married to a man whose behavior is never quite fleshed out enough to give us context. The same can be said for the rest of "Broken English," which hints at emotional truths but isn't mature enough to deliver. Maybe writer/director Zoe Cassavetes, daughter of John and brother of the overrated Nick, is still too young to bring off such complicated themes. For anyone needing a "Sex and the City" fix, stick to that show's reruns, not this pale imitation.