WELL-INTENTIONED, ECCENTRIC `POLISH WEDDING' FALLS FAR SHORT.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic

``Polish Wedding'' is one of those eccentric, episodic movies that tries so hard to win your love that it ends up grating on your nerves.

First-time director Theresa Connelly spends a good hour flitting from character to character without ever succeeding in involving the audience. When she finally does pique your interest in the film's later moments, you're too far gone to really care.

The movie is meant to be a loving look at the Pzoniak family, a blue-collar clan living in industrial Detroit. The Pzoniaks are ruled by their proud mother, Jadzia (Lena Olin), an iron-willed woman who sneaks off practically every night for trysts with a wealthy Polish businessman (Rade Serbedzija).

Her husband, Bolek (Gabriel Byrne), is a sensitive baker who mostly looks out the window and broods (partly explaining Jadzia's motivation for her late-night liaisons).

There are more family members, too many, in fact.

There's the daughter, Hala (Claire Danes), a Rapunzel-like beauty who is keeping late-night company of her own with a local cop (Adam Trese). There's a son named Ziggy (Daniel Lapaine) who tries hard to overcome his name and the sudden responsibilities that have come with a wife (Mili Avital) and newborn baby.

It's a crowded house, which makes for a crowded movie with too many subplots for its own good.

Writer-director Connelly struggles to establish the film's theme of history repeating itself by showing the daughter making the same mistakes as her mother.

But Connelly never really lets us know her characters, which is curious since she herself hails from a working-class, Polish-American family.

The people here are ciphers, which certainly reduces the audience's interest level.

``Polish Wedding'' also veers wildly in tone.

Scenes meant for laughs elicit none, while dramatic confrontations often come off as unintentionally funny. Connelly tries to give the movie a fairy-tale feel, but, sadly, little of that magic is captured on screen.

``Polish Wedding'' does succeed as a showcase for the sensuous Olin, who hasn't had much success in finding good roles since the late '80s with ``The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' and ``Enemies, a Love Story.''

Olin is really the only one who has any luck with the inherent contradictions in her character.

It's too bad Connelly couldn't resolve the contradictions in her script and filmmaking approach.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Polish Wedding'' (PG-13; sensuality, language, mature themes).

The stars: Lena Olin, Claire Danes, Gabriel Byrne, Mili Avital.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Theresa Connelly.

Running time: One hour, 45 minutes.

Playing: Westside Pavilion, Laemmle Sunset 5, Laemmle Sunset Monica.

Our rating: Two Stars.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Mili Avital, left, Lena Olin and Claire Danes star in ``Polish Wedding,'' focusing on a blue-collar family living in industrial Detroit.