Bachelor, The

It's too early to tell whether movie comedies will be the right forte for Chris O'Donnell, but "The Bachelor" suggests that he might not want to eliminate his other acting options just yet.

After nearly upstaging some seasoned pros in Robert Altman's down-on-the-Bayou comedy, "Cookie's Fortune," last year, O'Donnell is opting to make similar films, starting with this sporadically funny romantic comedy.

However, his vanilla-bland lead performance certainly doesn't help the movie, which takes its many of its cues — if not the setup for its entire plot — from Buster Keaton's far-superior 1925 silent film, "Seven Chances."

In fact, if not for some scene-stealing supporting turns by Hal Holbrook, Ed Asner, Peter Ustinov and others, the film might have been awful. As it is, the initially brisk pacing seriously lags in the spotty second half, and some of the humor is too crude for a premise as lightweight as this.

O'Donnell stars as the title character, Jimmy Shannon, a twentysomething who's happily single — even as all of his friends are settling down and getting married.

But his bachelorhood is put to the test by Anne (Renee Zellweger), his new girlfriend, who's almost too good to be true. As their relationship progresses, Jimmy feels pressure to propose to Anne, but he manages to fumble away his chance in the most romantic restaurant in the city.

Also, his grandfather (Ustinov) passes away and leaves Jimmy everything in his will. The upside? Jimmy's inheriting $100 million and the family business. The downside? He has to be married by his 30th birthday — which is the very next day.

With added incentive, Jimmy again proposes to Anne, who again turns him down. So, in desperation, he and his best friend, Marco (Artie Lange), begin a frantic search for a bride — which includes some of his old girlfriends, as well as perfect strangers.

Admittedly, the material is familiar — and extremely predictable. But there are some pretty amusing moments in the film's first half.

However, when the laughs don't come as easily, director Gary Sinyor and screenwriter Steve Cohen stoop to sexual humor and other lowbrow tactics, a bad choice that nearly undoes the whole thing.

Fortunately, there is an underlying sweetness to the material, which makes it at least a cut above the recent slate of romantic comedies — along with a more appealing cast and better performances.

Though O'Donnell is pretty stiff at times, he does share decent chemistry with Zellweger. And the veterans seem to be having a good time, especially Holbrook, who's wonderfully eccentric.

"The Bachelor" is rated PG-13 for scattered profanities (including the so-called "R-rated" curse word), some crude sexual discussions and other questionable humor, and a particularly violent apprehension (done for laughs).