Mr. Wrong

Of course, we all know now why Ellen DeGeneres can't find Mr. Right, though she was much less forthcoming when she made this limp comedy in 1996. At that point, while riding the middling success of her TV series, it probably seemed like a good career move to make this increasingly desperate film. She plays Martha, a TV producer in her 30s who is under pressure from both her parents and friends to find the right guy. Then, by accident, she stumbles across Whitman (Bill Pullman), who seems like the ultimate dreamboat: handsome, sensitive, and thoughtful. But his flaws become quickly apparent, and when she tries to break it off, he becomes a stalker. DeGeneres has some funny material early on, then must settle for reacting to Pullman's bizarre behavior. Pullman often is funnier than his costar but neither of them is particularly well served by the cobbled-together script and the generic direction of Nick Castle. --Marshall Fine