AllMovie

Though full of good intentions, this first feature from playwright James Ryan is prime proof of how plays do not always translate well to screen. The internal dilemmas of its various characters are not outsized enough to merit a full-length film, and only a few of the actors have the requisite presence to make the effort worth it. Terry Kinney is sturdy as always and never lets the film veer too far into silliness, and Diane Venora has a funny, spunky supporting role as his boss, but newcomer Ellen Muth is too amateurish by half and never makes her character terribly interesting or endearing. The screenplay is also overripe for its cinematic setting; too often, the words pang because they sound too rehearsed and unnatural, and Ryan as a director cannot find a new way to breathe life into them. This was the second single father that Kinney played in 2001, after his supporting turn as Julia Stiles' distant dad in Save the Last Dance.