KILMER DELIVERS JUST THE RIGHT TOUCH IN `AT FIRST SIGHT'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic

You can understand why Virgil, the empathetic blind masseur, and Amy, a harried New York architect, would fall for each other in ``At First Sight.''

``Virgil,'' says Amy, ``touches you, not for sex, but to get to know you better. And he really listens!'' Add to that the fact that Virgil is played by Val Kilmer, and you have every woman's dream of a sensitive hunk.

As for Amy, Virgil tells his adorable guide dog that she ``smells like cinnamon and nutmeg and has skin smooth like butter.'' Besides sounding like she'd make a great pancake topping, Amy has other attributes, most notably Mira Sorvino's shapely legs.

Add all this together and include plenty of earnest dialogue and numerous shots of Kilmer shirtless and you have a recipe for some half-baked hokum. ``At First Sight,'' though, manages to make for some fairly decent entertainment thanks in large part to a skillful performance by Kilmer, who gives his character an appealing innocence that never lapses into self-pitying caricature.

Like the 1990 medical drama ``Awakenings,'' ``At First Sight'' is based on a true story from medical miracle worker Dr. Oliver Sacks. But this movie isn't so much about science as it is the human heart, which can be treacherous territory for even the most gifted filmmakers.

Kilmer's Virgil is a masseur at a small upstate New York ski resort. He's happily contented with his life, which is made all the more pleasant and simple thanks to the help of his overprotective older sister, Jennie (Kelly McGillis). Then Virgil meets Amy, an overworked architect in desperate need of human kindness, not to mention a good back rub. Sparks are kindled and soon Virgil is packing his bags and heading to New York, much to Jennie's consternation.

There in the Big Apple (filmed with considerably more grit than Nora Ephron gave us in ``You've Got Mail''), Virgil deals with city noise and learns about an experimental surgery that restores sight to people blind since birth. Amy pushes it, Virgil relents and soon enough, the doctors are removing the bandages and Virgil finds he has recovered his vision.

That's not necessarily good news. Virgil's eyes can see, but his brain can't decipher the images transmitted to it. Other problems: He can't judge distances or shapes. He can't understand why Amy is kissing her ex-husband at a party. He can't figure out the way people dance to the Village People's ``YMCA.'' Basically, he can't trust his eyes. And as Virgil learns life all over again, he is sapped of the sensitive qualities that made him a special person. His relationship with Amy suffers, too.

Steve Levitt's screenplay effectively conveys the challenges facing Virgil in his new world as well as the shifting sands of his love affair with Amy. But the movie often settles for obvious metaphors and a scientific shorthand that serve the plot but reduce the events' significance. The medical community and their methods are given particularly short shrift, which is ironic given Sacks' involvement.

Aside from the long-absent McGillis, the supporting cast includes an oily Steven Weber as Amy's insensitive ex-husband and Nathan Lane playing a wise-cracking therapist for the blind. Mostly, though, this is a showcase for Kilmer and Sorvino. Kilmer more than holds up his end; Sorvino, meanwhile, shows off her penchant for ardent solemnity a little too much for her own (and the movie's) good. But she does have that dairylike skin, an attribute the filmmakers milk for all it's worth.

THE FACTS

The film: ``At First Sight'' (PG-13; language, sexual situations).

The stars: Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino, Kelly McGillis, Steven Weber, Nathan Lane and Bruce Davison.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Irwin Winkler. Screenplay by Steve Levitt. Released by MGM Pictures.

Running time: Two hours, eight minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two and one half stars