"Seducing Charlie Barker" Tries for Woody Allen Without Woody Allen

An arrogant, struggling actor leaves his wife for a sexy, unstable younger woman, which would be a perfectly serviceable starting point for Ibsen or Woody Allen.

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Seducing Charlie Barker, opens December 23 at Living Room Theaters, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Call 561-549-2600, or visit livingroomtheaters.com.

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More About

• Woody Allen
• Theresa Rebeck
• Stephen Barker Turner
• Movie Stars
• Mental Health

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Yet in adapting her recent play The Scene, Theresa Rebeck can't find a consistent tone for her material or players. Charlie (Stephen Barker Turner) is a grouch living off his TV-producer wife Stella (Daphne Zuniga), who hopes to adopt a baby from China. He's not quite a clown, not quite a cad, just another dude in a midlife crisis who impulsively grabs at a hot piece of ass in a red dress.

That would be Clea (Heather Gordon), a crazy-eyed sex doll who speaks in nonstop non sequiturs. She's the sort of dangerous nincompoop who ought to be deployed in a fast-paced, bed-hopping farce. Instead, as directed by Amy Glazer, Seducing Charlie Barker is rather sluggish. Says Stella about the adultery, "There's not even a shred of originality to it." Same applies to the movie.