By Susan Polk

Directed by: Ron Underwood

Starring: Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Christopher Reeve

Opens March 23 at Village City Centre and various complexes throughout Melbourne

Rating: **

The machinations of American politics are ideal for satirical works. Unfortunately, few film can intelligently cope with the subject - too often they slide into that other machine that churns out hype and falsehoods - the Hollywood production line. The odd exception slips through occasionally, but Bob Roberts' just don't grow on trees, and what we're left with are films like The Distingushed Gentleman, Dave, and Speechless. The premise of Speechless is not a bad one - two speech writers in opposite camps (Micheal Keaton and Geena Davis) fall in love before they are aware that by definition they are supposed to be enemies. The initial scenes are amusing as the set-up for the campaign begins, but what starts out as a decent satire quickly turns to a predictable boy-meets-girl lovestory, right down to the multiple misunderstandings that arise at crucial junctures, keeping the hero and heroine apart until the final sequence.

Davis is fine as the idealistic Julia, who believes in her work to the point of naive idealism - a viewpoint held by very few of her co-workers and an attitude that is most certainly undeserved by her scheming candidate. Her life is further complicated by the arrival of her ex-fiancee (Christopher Reeve), a self-centered journalist who has achieved celebrity status for his on-the-spot war coverage. Bagdhad Bob ("call me Baggy") tosses the spanner in the romantic works, naturally, and although you might resent the scriptwriters for putting him there in the first place, Reeve gives the role a sort of a likeable pomposity that is tough to dislike.

Keaton's role of Kevin, the ex-sitcom writer who's in the speech-writing game as a favor to his ex-wife (Bonnie Bedelia), is one of his most likeable to date and it is a pity the film never quite allows him to fully develop. The quick-witted cynicism suits his acting style, and much of the intitial interplay between Keaton and Davis has a believable chemistry that salvages Speechless from being an utterly forgetful piece of work.

But the relationship between Julia and Kevin overshadows the political intricasies of the film, and what could have been a well-balanced romantic/political comedy trails into predictability by the second half. Not a bad film for those in the mood for a bit of romantic escapism, but for those looking for incisive commentary into the political system, better to look elsewhere.