Monday, Jul. 10, 2000

The Five Senses

By RICHARD CORLISS

The story is high concept, Sundance-style: five people, each representing one of the senses, feel their way toward love or reconciliation. But a fine cast that includes Mary Louise Parker and Marco Leonardi breathes delicate life into attractive characters. And the movie manages to make its point--that we are all impaired, short on that rarest quality, common sense--without being imprisoned by its complex format. Besides, a film that is too smart for its own good is preferable to one that's too dumb for the audience's.

--By Richard Corliss