'TOO MUCH SLEEP,' PERCHANCE TO BE CLEVERLY AMUSED.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

``Too Much Sleep'' derives its spirit from its central character, Jack, a 24-year-old night watchman who views the world through heavy-lidded eyes and a perpetually bemused expression.

The drowsy movie, the latest offering in the Shooting Gallery series, is first-time filmmaker David Maquiling's take on Martin Scorsese's ``After Hours,'' in which an ordinary guy has a series of increasingly bizarre experiences.

Overall, it's more of an interesting curio than a full-fledged film, although Maquiling certainly displays some talent for creating otherworldly situations and sustaining a dry, deadpan tone. If the movie's tale of a young man's journey to adulthood is ultimately unconvincing, Maquiling at least makes the trip interesting along the way.

Jack (Marc Palmieri) lives with his unseen mother, who thoughtfully buys him new shirts and leaves him notes telling him how much he owes for the phone bill. The only time Jack seems truly content is when he's asleep, which is probably why he has chosen his current line of work.

Life throws him a curve, though, when he loses his gun on a bus ride home. The gun belonged to Jack's late father; Jack inherited it and never bothered to register the weapon. Since calling the police is out of the question, Jack is referred to the neighborhood know-it-all, Eddie (Pasquale Gaeta), who promises to talk to his ``friends on the force'' in order to find the gun's whereabouts.

Eddie's ability to help is questionable, though, based on his initial exchange with Jack.

Eddie: ``Who are you?''

Jack: ``I'm Andrew's friend.''

Eddie: ``Julie Andrews?''

It gets stranger from there as Eddie and Jack hit the mean streets of working-class, suburban New Jersey to chase down leads. The people he meets in these banal surroundings are anything but normal - there's a shifty housewife, a psychotic male nurse and an amateur bartender who proudly claims to make the best scotch-and-water in the land. He and his buddies have also formed a massage club and would like Jack to join.

The cumulative effect of these encounters is less than Maquiling would like to achieve. Some of the quirky characters fight to grab Jack's attention; they have less luck sustaining interest from the audience. But Gaeta gives the unpredictable Eddie an irresistible exuberance that's etched with small touches of poignancy.

It's those small touches and little moments that mark ``Too Much Sleep'' as a promising debut. It will be interesting to see where Maquiling, slated to start a new film this year, takes his vision from here.

``TOO MUCH SLEEP''

(Unrated: contains profanity and adult situations)

The stars: Marc Palmieri and Pasquale Gaeta.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by David Maquiling. Released by the Shooting Gallery film series.

Running time: One hour, 26 minutes.

Playing: Loews Fairfax Theatre in Hollywood.

Our rating: Three stars.

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Photo: Pasquale Gaeta, left, tries to help Marc Palmieri in ``Too Much Sleep.''