'A GUY THING' MISSES MARK.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

ANOTHER YOUTHFUL sex farce that doesn't seem familiar with the crucial concept of timing, ``A Guy Thing'' still manages to be funnier, more sophisticated and better acted than last week's atrocity ``Just Married.''

That's not wild praise, of course. And the glimmers of cleverness that do twinkle through these awkwardly paced shenanigans give more of a sense of missed opportunities than ticklish pleasure.

This despite three decent enough performances in the central triangle and a handful of deft supporting turns. Basically, professional buddy Jason Lee acquits himself adequately in the groom-to-be lead role, Selma Blair brings shadings of humanity to his tightly wound society-girl fiancee, and Julia Stiles once again maintains an air of good sense while exploring her comic potential as the liberating force who comes between them.

The setup is as old as the Seattle-area hills where the story is set (though most of this was shot across the border in Vancouver, British Columbia). Lee's Paul, a cautious sort (he works for the sportsmen's magazine empire owned by his future father-in-law, played by a pleasingly loose James Brolin), is so nervous about disrupting his looming marriage to Blair's Karen that, when the tiki girls arrive at his bachelor party, he makes a pal claim to be the groom.

Nevertheless, Paul wakes up in his pad the next morning with missing memories of the night before and one of the hula dancers, Stiles' Becky, sleeping naked beside him. He gives her the bum's rush just before Karen drops by and figures that's that. But disturbingly, Paul keeps bumping into Becky - she has a different job, every one of which she's bad at, with each new day - never more so than at a family gathering at Karen's house. Turns out that Becky is the bride's cousin.

Worse, she's got a psycho cop ex-boyfriend (Lochlyn Munro, scary funny). Worse - or is it better? - as Paul and Becky combine efforts to keep the mutually loved Karen unaware of their transgression, something difficult to ignore develops between guy and cousin. It all climaxes at the wedding, as any movie that hopes to make money nowadays would.

Director Chris Koch has helmed some sharp television shows (``Scrubs,'' ``Malcolm in the Middle'') and the children's feature ``Snow Day.'' This project lands kind of dead center between those poles. There are some relatable emotions and real camera work at play here and there, but at the same time there doesn't seem to be any unifying creative vision, just a series of hit-and-miss gags and embarrassing situations that should be a lot more suspenseful.

Oh, and exactly what ``A Guy Thing'' is ... I still don't know. And I'm a guy.

A GUY THING - Two stars

(PG-13: adult situations, language, violence, drug use)

Starring: Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, James Brolin, Shawn Hatosy, Lochlyn Munro, Julie Hagerty.

Director: Chris Koch.

Running time: 1 hr. 41 min.

Playing: Wide release.

In a nutshell: Sexless sex farce in which a groom-to-be wakes up after his bachelor party next to his intended's cousin. A few funny moments, and the cast is game, but staging ranges from crisp to clunky too often for effective, consistent laughs.

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Photo:

Julia Stiles, left, Selma Blair and Jason Lee represent the three points of an unusual romantic triangle.