Sidewalks of New York

"Sidewalks of New York" neatly answers a couple of nagging questions on at least a few minds: First, it demonstrates that Ed Burns can make a satisfying movie, that his 1995 debut "The Brothers McMullen" may not have been a fluke after all. Second, it shows that Heather Graham can still act, if she has the right part.

Actor/filmmaker Burns flopped with his follow-up films "She's the One" and "No Looking Back" (the latter being a film that went unseen — perhaps deservedly — by the vast majority of movie audiences).

Burns' newest, a romantic comedy-drama and valentine to his current home, may not be great art, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

"Sidewalks of New York" is funny when it has to be, and it's surprisingly perceptive at other times. Also, more than any of his other films, this one may remind some of the early works of Woody Allen — those created when Allen was still ruminating about matters of love, sex, marriage and infidelity.

The film centers on the love lives of several New Yorkers, including TV producer Tommy Reilly (Burns). He's just been kicked out by his girlfriend, and his friends are telling him to re-enter the dating scene. So he begins courting Maria (Rosario Dawson), a schoolteacher who is reluctant to commit after a failed teenage marriage.

Maria's ex, would-be musician Benjamin (David Krumholtz), is attempting to serenade Ashley (Brittany Murphy), a waitress stuck in a go-nowhere relationship with a married dentist named Griffin (Stanley Tucci).

Griffin's wife, Annie (Graham, deftly assuming the Diane Keaton role), suspects that her husband is cheating on her, but she's reluctant to even discuss divorce, after seeing the toll it took on her own parents.

The transition here from comedy to drama is a little forced, and the gimmick of mock Man-On-The-Street interviews sometimes detracts from the story lines.

But from top to bottom, the performances are all pretty solid, especially stars-on-the-rise Murphy, who's really coming into her own as an actress, and Dawson, who perhaps doesn't get quite as much screen time as her character deserves.

Nearly as good is the supporting cast, including the perfectly slimy Tucci, and Dennis Farina, playing Tommy's co-worker and temporary roommate, who gives him errant but funny advice on romantic matters.

"Sidewalks of New York" is rated R for crude, sometimes explicit sex talk and use of vulgar sexual slang terms, occasional use of strong profanity, and brief simulated sex (mostly done for laughs). Running time: 100 minutes.

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