As usual, writer-director John Sayles has a lot to say in his latest film, "Casa de los Babys." However, for the first time in a while, you can actually feel him losing control on at least some of the material, as if he's bitten off more than he can chew.

Some of the supporting roles in this character drama are at least as interesting than some of the major ones. In fact, they're more interesting in some cases. Still, this is a thought-provoking film, and it features one of the best acting ensembles in awhile — even by Sayles' standards.

"Casa de los Babys" refers to a hotel in an undisclosed Latin American country, where prospective mothers wait for word on whether they're going to be able to adopt children: There's obsessive health nut Skipper (Daryl Hannah); Gayle (Mary Steenburgen), a born-again Christian and recovering alcoholic; the financially strapped Eileen (Susan Lynch); single New Yorker Leslie (Lili Taylor); the underconfident Jennifer (Maggie Gyllenhaal); and Nan (Marcia Gay Harden), who is so determined to get a child she's not above bullying lawyers, throwing around cash and making vague threats.

As expected, Sayles contrasts their stories with a look at the country's impoverished residents, including homeless children and a hotel maid, Asuncion (Vanessa Martinez), who finds herself acting the role of mother to her younger siblings. That latter subplot deserves more examination than it gets here; it should be the main story line of a better, more focused movie.

Sayles writes such strong female characters, however, that the film is well worth watching, and the cast helps a lot. Harden gives yet another terrific performance, even managing to make Nan more likable than she should be. Elsewhere, Taylor has a field day with some of Sayles' acerbic dialogue. However, it's Lynch and Martinez who provide the film with its best scene, a heartbreaking moment that has the two women trying to converse about motherhood in spite of the language barrier.

"Casa de los Babys" is rated R for occasional use of strong sexual profanity, use of crude slang (and occasional sex talk), drug use (marijuana and inhalants), and use of some racial epithets. Running time: 95 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com