KUSHNER PROFILE A LITTLE TOO ANGELIC.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

Probably our greatest living playwright, Tony Kushner is also a tireless advocate for human rights and progressive causes. He makes his parents proud, he married his boyfriend and made him an honest man, and his worst character trait seems to be slight overconcern about his weight. Even his most vituperative attacks on right-wing demagoguery and hypocrisy are thoughtful, complexly reasoned and shaded with humane understanding.

Sure, the guy deserves a movie about him for having the mind that came up with the magisterial ``Angels in America'' if nothing else.

Watching ``Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner,'' though, I often wished that there were something deeply, darkly wrong with the subject, just to make the movie more interesting.

Too perfect

That's kind of a terrible thing to think, let alone to write. But Freida Lee Mock's documentary, while not necessarily hagiographic, does become tepid in its constant presentation of Kushner doing smart and wonderful things. While, true to title, it does often show Kushner grappling with the better angels of his nature, but smacking down a few demons would surely have had more impact.

His humanity

A filmed record of a national treasure -- something Mock previously did with ``Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision,'' her Oscar-winning doc about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer -- is no mean thing, though. And it's stirring to watch Kushner try to process and respond to the issues of the day during the film's three-year time span, from right around Sept. 11, 2001, (shortly before his suddenly hot-button ``Homebody/Kabul'' was scheduled to premiere mere blocks away from ground zero) to the 2004 elections (when he worked at the most grass-roots of levels to ensure that some tardy Democrats got to cast their votes).

On the other hand, his views on writer's block, opening night jitters, reading reviews and the like are honest enough, but generally ring generic. The visit to his country writing cabin raises the question: Must every serious wordsmith have one of these? < Kushner also leads us on a tour of Lake Charles, La., where he grew up. It's not a real fascinating place.

Sense of social justice

Through it all, though, Kushner's commitment to his Jewish heritage, social justice and the people he loves provides some vibrancy. It all comes together with the preparation of the children's opera ``Brundibar'' with illustrator and collaborator Maurice Sendak. The piece was originally staged by the Nazis, employing child prisoners, in one of their ``model'' concentration camps for propaganda purposes. Kushner's translation, of course, turns it into something far more honest and touching. In this film, it makes for a greatly moving sequence in which we see his artistry, identity, history and compassion all work in concert.

Beside Sendak, such noteworthy collaborators as Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Marcia Gay Harden and stage director George C. Wolfe are presented doing marvelous things with Kushner's words. Meaty sections of his plays being performed reaffirm his genius. And if you want to know the thought process that went into some of those moments, the playwright is there to tell you.

So while ``Wrestling With Angels'' is definitely a worthwhile experience, you'd expect it to be a more dramatic one, considering what Kushner has produced.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

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WRESTLING WITH ANGELS: PLAYWRIGHT TONY KUSHNER - Two and one half stars

(Not rated: language.)

Director: Freida Lee Mock.

Running time: 1 hr. 38 min.

Playing: Nuart, West L.A.

In a nutshell: The ``Angels in America'' author is followed for about three years, in which he's creative, politically active, and a good son and committed lover. Documentary might have been more exciting if he had a fault or two.

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``Wrestling With Angels'' affirms playwright Tony Kushner's genius and humanity, but the documentary lacks an exploration of the darker side of the writer's life.