A charming little flick that combines elements of Night of the Living Dead, The Towering Inferno, and The Morning After into an improbable date movie, Miracle Mile gives Cherry 2000 filmmaker Steven de Jarnatt another chance to prove that a decent cast and a cool premise are more valuable than millions of dollars in special effects. The best classic science fiction stories favored compelling what-if scenarios over razor sharp prose. In the cinematic equivalent, we get workmanlike production values and a heck of a concept: What if you accidentally intercepted a phone call that alerted you to impending nuclear war? Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham are the everyday youngsters whose tentative romance gets interrupted by the imminent big bang, and their winsome appeal goes a lot farther than something more high-octane. Meanwhile, a rich collection of character actors including Star Trek: The Next Generation's Denise Crosby provide expendable supporting players and lend the race to infinity its sociological scope. Any movie predicated on a nuclear countdown is bound to end on either a downer or an unexpectedly giddy note, but the game cast and tight little script keep the audience guessing right down to zero.