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High points of 'Heights' are on the fringes

One of those indie films in which a surprising number of recognizable actors pop up in small but interlocking roles, "Heights" once again informs us that our lives are all connected. It's "Crash" without the self-conscious moralizing, "Magnolia" without the — well, without any of the things that made "Magnolia" brilliant.

Sony Pictures Classics 'Heights' 2 out of 5 stars Director: Chris Terrio Starring: Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Jesse Bradford, George Segal Run time: 93 minutes Release date: June 17, 2005 Rating: R for language, brief sexuality and nudity. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate "Heights"   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

It doesn't help that director Chris Terrio (this is his first feature) is interested in characters in direct proportion to their pretension and narcissism: Isabel (Elizabeth Banks), an aspiring photographer who spends her days stealing images of others' lives but can't see beneath the surface of her fiance's, gets the lion's share of screen time; Isabel's fiance (James Marsden) and her mother (Glenn Close), whose romantic decisions have created problems they pretend they can't defuse, are runners-up.

The lives of these self-absorbed Manhattanites, most of whom are trying to balance survival with artistic fulfillment, aren't terribly exciting. But some diversion comes on the fringes, as surprising faces or engaging characters pop up. Hey — isn't that Rufus Wainwright as the wan former lover of a famous Mapplethorpe-esque photographer? Hmm — is Isabella Rossellini just reprising her character from "Roger Dodger"? No matter; they'll be off camera after a scene or two.

One side character who sticks around is the journalist (John Light) writing a Vanity Fair profile of that Mapplethorpe-esque photog. He's an odd cipher of a man; the movie tries to give him some inner drama but never really follows through, making it clear he only exists to trigger a plot point in Isabel's life.

The same is basically true for Alec (Jesse Bradford), an aspiring actor who is probably the story's most interesting figure. Alec makes some fairly unbelievable choices, but Bradford does his best to sell them. If the movie ends by manufacturing some tidy resolutions to the messy situations in which Alec plays a part, it certainly isn't the actor's fault.