A professor of mine once told me that a paper I wrote seemed to have 75 thesis statements. A similar charge could be made against Scott Winant's feature film debut, 'Til There Was You. This film is as messy as its lead character Gwen's (Tripplehorn) personal life. Raised by parents whose courtship and marriage represent perfection, Gwen grows up with very specific ideas about her future mate. Needless to say, the men Gwen meets as a grownup consistently thwart her fairy tale. But perhaps it's the fairy tale (and Gwen's dogged belief in it) that represents the real obstacle to Gwen's happiness. However, the film's story seems to present at least two conflicting themes: that certain couples are fated to be together, and that the fairy tale of fated love is a myth that consumer culture has invented and perpetuates on a regular basis -- particularly in regard to women. Making the story even more confusing is its awkward attempts to crosscut between Gwen's story and that of her future prince Nick (McDermott). (So problematic is this technique that within the first five minutes of the film, I thought the young actor playing Nick was actually Gwen with an unfortunate little-boy haircut.) Unlike Gwen's home life, Nick's parents communicated to their son that marriage is based on deception and misery. While Gwen searches for Mr. Right, Nick lies his way through a series of relationships. He almost finds happiness with Francesca (Parker), a former child television star with whom he fell in love as a young fan. How do Gwen's and Nick's stories finally intersect, and why even bother with the character of Francesca? It's all part of the film's misguided attempt to weave a number of fateful encounters into a happily-ever-after conclusion. 'Til There Was You's script problems prove baffling because of the solid production team behind this film. Winant's previous work includes the pilot television episodes for acclaimed series thirtysomething and My So-Called Life." Joining him on this film as screenwriter is Winnie Holzman, whose insightful vision made the short-lived series My So-Called Life the dramatic gem that it was. Leads Tripplehorn (The Firm, Basic Instinct) and McDermott (Home for the Holidays, In the Line of Fire) both give solid performances; it just seems as if they are in different films. Inexplicably, the previous good work of these filmmakers and actors seems to have little bearing on how this film turned out.

1.5 stars