海角大神

'Laggies': The aim of the film starring Keira Knightley isn't always clear

Actress Keira Knightley isn't believable as a 'laggy' 鈥� someone who is slow and aimless 鈥� or as a woman reclaiming her teenhood, but Chlo毛 Grace Moretz is well cast as the teen with whom she bonds and Sam Rockwell is good as Moretz's caustic but sensitive father.

Lynn Shelton鈥檚 鈥淟aggies,鈥� written by Andrea Seigel, is named after a聽new-to-me term that refers to people who are slow and aimless. 鈥淟aggies鈥澛爄tself isn鈥檛 exactly slow 鈥� its pace is pleasantly meandering 鈥� and it鈥檚聽far from aimless, although what it鈥檚 aiming for isn鈥檛 always clear.聽

Keira聽Knightley is Megan Burch, 10 years out of high school and not yet settled聽into adulthood. She鈥檚 a 鈥渟ign twirler鈥� for the Seattle accounting firm of聽her father (Jeff Garlin) and lives with the boyfriend she's been dating since high聽school (Mark Webber).

When he suddenly proposes to her, Megan, who accepts, is nevertheless聽so panicked that she concocts an excuse to disappear for a week.

She鈥檚聽supposed to be attending a self-improvement seminar but actually she鈥檚聽camping out in the home of her new 16-year-old friend, Annika (Chlo毛聽Grace Moretz), with whom she bonded after buying her and her friends聽some booze from a local store. This is the first of several liquor-related聽escapades, including a DUI arrest, that we are supposed to think is kinda聽cute.

The conceit of having Megan reclaim her teenhood while acting as a聽mentor to Annika never jells. Of course, Annika鈥檚 single dad, Craig聽(Sam Rockwell), with whom she lives, is initially taken aback by the new聽boarder, but then he and Megan hit it off and, well, you can guess where聽this is going.

Knightley isn鈥檛 believable as either a laggy or born-again teen. Moretz聽at least is well cast. Rockwell does his聽caustic-sensitive routine, at which he's getting very good. You鈥檇 never catch him being a sign twirler. Grade:聽C+ (Rated R for language, some sexual material, and teen partying.)