'WALLS' TALK ABOUT LESBIANISM.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

One wonders if HBO is politically attuned enough to intentionally premiere ``If These Walls Could Talk 2,'' an anthology film focusing on lesbian relationships, two days before California voters get their say on Proposition 22, a slice of political chicanery so breathtakingly hateful that The New York Times ran a front-page story shaking its editorial head that something that pettily vindictive could even find its way onto a ballot.

It's unlikely anyone watching the movie will be swayed from their position on the proposition, intended to forever nullify the legality of gay marriages in the state, but should that happen, good on 'em. Certainly, a sizable audience seems promised: The first film, about abortion, was the most-watched program in the history of the pay-cable network (it's since been eclipsed by ``The Sopranos,'' which airs an hour before the film).

The film, ostensibly set in one house over the course of several decades, is split into three sections, each titled after their respective era: ``1961,'' ``1972'' and ``2000.'' The first segment, written and directed by Jane Anderson, is the best, a wonderfully subtle piece of storytelling and, coincidentally, a poignant argument as to why it's a little unfair that gays can't have some arrangement making their relationships legally binding.

Vanessa Redgrave gives a genuinely moving performance as Edith, an older woman whose longtime companion, to borrow a phrase from a past decade, suffers a stroke. Since she's not technically related to her ``friend,'' hospital personnel won't let her see the patient and are mildly dismissive of her personal tragedy when the woman dies.

It gets worse when a nephew to the deceased, a good-intentioned schnook (Paul Giamatti) who barely knew his aunt, shows up to settle the matter of the estate. The deed to the house is only in the decedent's name, so he basically sees Edith as little more than a squatter on his property. For her part, Edith is aghast to see that the only relatives her bird-loving lover had are vultures, picking over the contents of the home for gewgaws to truck back home.

There's not a lot to the '70s vignette, written by Sylvia and Alex Sichel and directed by Martha Coolidge. It's about a college student (Michelle Williams of ``Dawson's Creek,'' following in Jessica Biel's footsteps in terms of scandalizing her WB fans), who becomes interested in a ``masculine'' lesbian (Chloe Sevigny, turning the tables on her ``Boys Don't Cry'' role) to the dismay of her friends.

Even discounting the story's implausibility - young lesbians should have endured unfair rushes to judgment that they wouldn't do it themselves - it still doesn't add up to much.

Written and directed by Anne Heche, Ellen DeGeneres' partner, ``2000'' is a comedy of manners about the brave new world of lesbian procreation. DeGeneres and Sharon Stone play an affectionate couple trying to figure out the best way to get pregnant - with the Internet, sperm is handily just a mouse-click away.

The segment plays kind of the same way Heche acts - it tries really, really hard to be kookily lovable. It looks like all involved had a blast making it; there's not quite as much fun in watching it. And Heche really blows it by neglecting to include a scene that seems a no-brainer - DeGeneres would've been an absolute hoot as the nervous ``father'' at the childbirth scene.

THE FACTS

-- The show: ``If These Walls Could Talk 2.''

-- What: Anthology film in the popular series exploring women's issues, this one about the lesbian experience.

-- Who: Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Stone, Vanessa Redgrave, Michelle Williams, Chloe Sevigny.

-- Where: HBO.

-- When: 9 tonight. Also Wednesday and March 13, 16, 21 and 25.

-- Our rating: Three stars

CAPTION(S):

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Photo: Amy Carlson, left, Natasha Lyonne, Chloe Sevigny, Michelle Williams and Nia Long in ``If These Walls Could Talk 2.''