Man of No Importance, A

"A Man of No Importance" gives Albert Finney a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate that time has not muted his considerable talent. He stars as a Dublin bus conductor in the early '60s who adores Oscar Wilde and has developed a following on his route as he regales passengers with quips, quotes and readings.

He is also a homosexual, struggling with his own identity as he is drawn to a gay bar in town but finds himself unable to approach the other customers there, and as he pines for the young driver of his bus (Rufus Sewell) but is unable to tell him so.

Finny gives his all to the role, shading the character wonderfully, as he spends his days on the bus and his evenings with a number of quirky relationships, from his eccentric sister (Brenda Fricker) to his demanding boss to his suspicious landlord.

A turning point in his life comes when a young woman (Tara Fitzgerald, who is also in "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain") boards his bus one day and he is immediately convinced that she could play the title role in Wilde's play "Salome." He has long dreamed of mounting an amateur production of the play, and she reluctantly agrees to take on the role, though her performance is as doomed as the busman's controversial production.

There are some wonderfully touching and funny moments here, and the secondary characters offer a running stream of little bits of business that give the film dimension. But in general it's a bit too soft in the center and never quite fulfills its potential. Finney does just that, however, and all by himself almost makes the effort seem worth the ticket price.

"A Man of No Importance" is rated R for a brief sex scene with nudity, as well as a few profanities and vulgar remarks.