And my concern is totally justified in the case of KISSING A FOOL. Evidently noone else was prepared to take a risk on this thin and go-nowhere scenario. So Schwimmer floats his own boat with this lame little movie, that even aging sharks with no teeth can easily devour.

Schwimmer's idea, apparently, is to break away from his dweeby "Friends" persona in this film, to play a Joe Cool t.v. sports commentator named Max. But don't believe it, he's the same dweeb, just that he has adopted two clichéd gestures that are supposed to convince us he's part of the trendy crowd, indeed, a player. He bites on a toothpick and employs "Whaddup Chicago" as a greeting, but he is never anywhere nearly as cool as he thinks he is.

The story opens with a wedding. The bride is Samantha, played by Mili Avital, but the identity of the groom is hidden. Duh duh dah! It's either Schwimmer or Jay, his best friend, played by Jason Lee. So who will it be? We have to rely on Avital's boss, Linda, played by Bonnie Hunt, to explain. As the narrator, she unfolds the love story to a pair of buffoonish wedding guests and to the audience, via a series of flashbacks. It's all incredibly lame. The use of narrator and flashback is a thin and desperate attempt to flesh out this anorixic little story.

What is even more surprizing in this film is the lack of timing. After all, comedy is all in the timing, which seems to be totally out of sync in the whole film. Maybe it's Schwimmer, or poor direction from Doug Ellin, but often the shots and countershots are just a fraction of a beat off.

Other attempts to flesh out this yarn include the introduction of Jay's ex-fiancee, a wild sex maniac (what else would she be) and Samantha's bimbo cousin who is never really sure what to do, where to go or how to act.

So let's see, we have a lame plot and no relief to be found in subplot or supporting character actors so the only thing left to say is don't go.