`SUGAR TOWN' OFFERS A TASTE OF L.A. ROCK UNDERGROUND.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

Watching the often engaging but maddeningly uneven ``Sugar Town,'' it's obvious that its filmmakers know a thing or two about the Los Angeles music scene. And indeed Allison Anders, who co-wrote and co-directed the movie with Kurt Voss, has made something of a mark making music-themed films, first (with Voss) ``Border Radio,'' a chronicle of the dark side of the L.A. punk underground, and, later, ``Grace of My Heart,'' a movie distinguished more by its songs than its substance.

``Sugar Town'' is filled with dead-on characterizations and wry observations, but, in the end, it doesn't amount to much. Anders and Voss, both of whom attended UCLA's film school, wrote the movie in eight days and screened the premiere a mere six months after starting the script.

And while that immediacy may have been liberating for them, the screenplay could have used a few revisions. For all its knowing insights into has-beens and wanna-bes, ``Sugar Town'' lacks solid dramatic arcs, not to mention a purpose. It's about as relevant as a bubble-gum pop song.

Loosely episodic, ``Sugar Town'' follows the lives of a host of characters pursuing fame. Some have been to the top and want to return; others want that first taste and are willing to do anything to get it. For a movie with a large ensemble, Anders and Voss do a credible job of spreading the story lines and keeping the film moving steadily forward. What's missing, though, is a payoff.

At the center of the action is an ad-hoc grouping of '80s rock musicians, played, appropriately enough, by '80s rock musicians - John Taylor (Duran Duran), Michael Des Barres (he subbed for Robert Palmer with the supergroup Power Station) and Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet). They have a demo, but the record companies aren't biting. The complaint: They don't hear a single. They're probably right.

While the band's producer, Burt (Larry Klein), shops the record, the film's women cope with various crises. Former ingenue actress Eva (Rosanna Arquette) frets about being asked to play Christina Ricci's mother; Liz (Ally Sheedy) looks for love in all the wrong places; Gwen (Jade Gordon) pursues rock stardom with duplicitous zeal. (The character seems loosely based on Courtney Love.)

Meanwhile, Carl (John Doe from L.A. rock band X) debates whether he should leave his very pregnant wife (Lucinda Jenney) and a bevy of children behind in Topanga Canyon to go on tour with a Latina hottie (Lumi Cavazos).

Carl's brother (Richmond Arquette) returns from rehab with a thing for his sister-in-law. One of the rockers is presented with a son (Vincent Berry) he supposedly fathered. (The kid bears a closer resemblance to Dracula.) He reasons the boy couldn't be his, offering a hairsplitting sexual excuse that Bill Clinton would admire.

And, remarkably, the movie offers even more subplots, including a wealthy widow (Beverly D'Angelo) with a thing for leather-clad musicians. Often, ``Sugar Town'' seems like a musical soap opera, an ``As the Rock World Turns.'' The only thing missing is someone coming down with amnesia.

The boys in the band are thoroughly believable, and the movie works best when it gives these veterans room to riff off of their faded personas. Too bad their efforts go largely wasted in a feature that could have used a little more work while it was being initially composed.

The Facts

The film: ``Sugar Town'' (R; strong language, some drug content and sexuality).

The stars: Rosanna Arquette, Beverly D'Angelo, Michael Des Barres, John Doe, Martin Kemp, Ally Sheedy, John Taylor.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Allison Anders and Kurt Voss. Released by USA Films/October Films.

Running time: One hour, 33 minutes.

Playing: AMC Century 14 in Century City. Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood. Laemmle's Playhouse Cinemas in Pasadena.

Our rating: Two stars.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO Liz (Ally Sheedy, left) and Eva (Rosanna Arquette) try to nego tiate life in L.A. with an underground-music backdrop in ``Sugar Town.''