Ambivalent Love Edward Burns Is Back Directing An Unintentional Remake

In his second attempt as a filmmaker, Edward Burns has taken a daring departure in theme.

The writer-director’s first movie, 1995’s critically acclaimed “The Brothers McMullen,” followed the stories of three Irish-American brothers braving the waters of marriage, near-marriage and love in today’s New York.

In his second outing, “She’s the One,” Burns is still in New York, still looking at marriage, near-marriage and love.

And he’s still heavily involved in most-things-Irish (his character is named Mickey Fitzpatrick and, among other things, he drinks Guinness).

The twist? “She’s the One” involves only two brothers.

I’m being sarcastic here and a bit unfair. “She’s the One” is a light little film that, in its small-budget way, exhibits charm, cleverness and, when it has to, makes a serious point about the difficulties of modern relationships.

It’s another example of customized filmmaking, whereby someone with a personal vision - say, a Hal Hartley or (horrors) a Henry Jaglom - invites us to share his cinematic meditation on that vision.

But I’m not overplaying the comparisons between Burns’ two films. Aside from a bigger budget (reportedly $3.5 million) than he had for “Brothers McMullen” (reportedly $20,000), Burns has - at least in terms of theme - made virtually the same film twice.

Only some of the specifics differ. Mickey is a New York cab driver whom his ex-lover Heather (Cameron Diaz) describes as the only cabbie in New York who speaks English. That’s meant as a crack about Mickey’s lack of ambition, which has more to do with being happy than making money in the way of his strutting, stockbroker younger brother, Francis (Mike McGlone).

Happiness, though, is not easy to come by - and certainly not easy to maintain. When he marries one of his passengers (Maxine Bahns) only 24 hours after meeting her, Mickey has to then reflect on reality-afterromance: a small apartment, occasional electricity and diverse views of the future (she wants to go to Paris; he may have to actually decide what to do with his life). Brother Francis, while flush from his Wall Street earnings, isn’t doing much better. He’s married to one beautiful woman (Jennifer Aniston of television’s “Friends”) but is in love with Mickey’s ex-lover Heather.

Much of what passes for tension in “She’s the One” involves Francis finding excuses for not making love with his wife (in a curious ethical twist, he thinks it would be cheating to do so when he’s in love with someone else). Of course, Francis’ predicament ends up mirroring the ambivalence Mickey is feeling and, ultimately, even affects his Irish-macho father (John Mahoney).

As in “Brothers McMullen,” Burns’ dialogue can be sharp. For example, Mickey asks his father why he’s making such a big deal over a presumed slight to the church when he doesn’t even believe in God. “That doesn’t mean I have to stop being a good Catholic,” he shoots back.

But there is an unfinished feel to “She’s the One.” McGlone, so good as the baby sibling in “Brothers McMullen,” is mostly a collection of grimaces and postures here. He is unable to elicit any sympathy for what is, at heart, a thoroughly unlikable character.

And there’s Mickey’s ongoing… well, call it fascination with Heather, the ex-call girl who clearly is not worth his time. Maybe the charms of actress Diaz elude me, but I didn’t buy for a moment that Mickey would consider even being friends with her - or more.

Then there are the gay jokes, the male-bonding jokes, the aren’two-men-strange jokes, the parents-are-abusive-jerks jokes, etc., that are Burns’ attempts to lighten up what, in other hands, might have been weighty dramatic material.

A word on the other actors: Mahoney is as good as he’s ever been on screen, and Aniston proves that she can pull off a big-screen role as expertly as she lights up the TV. But the best performers here are the two least-talented actors: real-life marrieds Burns and Bahns. Both cover up their lack of acting skill with gorgeous looks and innate appeal that has us rooting for them to, against all odds, find in each other an enduring kind of love.

All in all, the film as a whole works best whenever Burns and Bahns are on the screen. In fact, if I had to state two reasons why you should see “Brothers McMullen: The Sequel,” I’d say they’re the ones.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: These sidebars appeared with the story: SHE’S THE ONE **-1/2 Locations: Lyons cinemas Credits: Written and directed by Edward Burns, Starring Burns, Mike McGlone, Maxine Bahns, John Mahoney, Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston Running time: 1:37 Rating: R

OTHER VIEWS Here’s what other critics say about “She’s The One:” Robert W. Butler/Kansas City Star: Edward Burns has every right to be proud of his debut feature, “The Brothers McMullen,” the Sundance winner that was made for $25,000 and went on to box office and critical heaven. Burns is so proud of “McMullen,” apparently, that for his sophomore effort he decided to make the movie all over again. Joe Baltake/Sacramento Bee: “She’s the One” may take us down a road we’ve traveled before, but it has enough punch and off-thebeaten-path originality to make the trip seem fresh. Its view of familiar sights is from a different angle. Stephen Whitty/San Jose Mercury News: …this movie isn’t a step forward for Burns as a film maker - at best, it’s a step sideways, and the same male story about dopey guys and the women who love them. He can do a lot better. We should expect a little more. Bob Strauss/Los Angeles Daily News: Like many guys, Burns is more comfortable in the company of men he doesn’t like than women he adores. That’s been good for two smart, funny movies - but if he isn’t careful, it could end up being his whole career.