Although it aspires to be a Southern gothic masterpiece like the haunting ballad that inspired it, this Robby Benson/Glynnis O'Connor vehicle is more corny than convincing. The script, by Summer of '42 writer Herman Raucher, plays things depressingly literal in its quest to explain every enigmatic lyric in Bobbie Gentry's song, no matter how much strain that puts on the plot or characters. The result is almost a parody of dustbowl drama, one in which characters speak in an absurdly elevated dialect and emote with the overheated intensity of bad teenaged poetry. Sample dialogue: "I'm a body, too, James, with desires. Somebody better pay attention to that. Cause my blood is racing and my ample breasts are bursting." By the time producer/director Max Baer Jr., has leached all of the mystery and grandeur from Gentry's lyrics, we're left with a story far less interesting for all its newfound specificity. During his teen-idol phase, Benson was a critics' whipping boy. Here, paired with the talented but hopelessly adrift O'Connor, it's not hard to see why.