Given how much most of us like Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant, it's forgivable that "Two Weeks Notice" is probably cuter than it is funny.

Don't take that as an indication that the film is unfunny, though. Actually, it's got some very good moments — many of which can be attributed to the talents of the two stars, who make the somewhat sketchy material much better just by being in the film.

And for a change, here's a romantic comedy in which the stars actually have some believable chemistry. That alone makes it far superior to the bland trifle "Maid in Manhattan" (which features the chemistry-free pairing of Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes).

Still, as much as the film deserves points for finally putting Bullock and Grant together, it also makes you hope that they'll appear together in another movie — one that's at least as good as they are.

Bullock stars here as Lucy Kelson, an attorney with a social conscience who suddenly finds herself working as chief counsel for George Wade (Grant), the suave but apparently conscience-free "public face" of the Wade Corporation, a New York real-estate development firm.

Actually, Lucy is more than just George's attorney. She also has to give him advice on his dressing and dating habits. But that takes her further away from her real life's work — providing aid for those who are less fortunate. So she decides to quit.

But George is reluctant to let her go. So he makes her a deal — he'll let her quit if she can find and train her replacement. Soon in walks June Carter (Alicia Witt), who seems all too happy to take care of all of George's needs.

Yes, this all goes precisely where you'd expect it to go. The material is rather familiar and has a very sitcomlike flavor that betrays the roots of the film's writer/director, Mark Lawrence, who worked on TV's "Family Ties."

However, it feels a whole lot fresher thanks to its two stars. Bullock and the increasingly low-key Grant could make reading the phone book amusing, and fortunately the material's at least a little better than that.

Unfortunately, it's not completely free of sexual innuendo and there's a most unwelcome bathroom gag. Or two. And it keeps squandering opportunities to give more to the supporting cast (while Robert Klein and Dana Ivey are well-used as Lucy's parents, no one else receives more than a few minutes of screen time).

"Two Weeks Notice" is rated PG-13 for crude humor and sight gags (most of them sexual, but one of them involves bodily functions), scattered use of strong profanity and some slapstick violence. Running time: 100 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com