Ponderously paced and weighed down by a well-meant but mostly failed attempt to explore spiritual issues, the movie examines the meaning of redemption through the experiences of an ex-con named Manuel (Billy Bob Thornton, sporting the long gray locks and burning eyes of a street-corner prophet).

Sent to prison for murdering a teen during a convenience store robbery 19 years ago, Manuel has just been granted parole. Instead of being grateful, he tells the parole board, "I know what I did. I don't want forgiveness. I think I belong here."

Not an option. So Manuel heads back to his old neighborhood, where the shooting took place. It's part of his five-step program to make amends (redemption, he says, being impossible). To that end, he seeks out the victim's sister, Adele (Holly Hunter). Without telling her who he is, he attempts to act as a guardian angel to her and her teenage son (Geoffrey Wigdor), who has jail time in his future if he doesn't straighten up.

Manuel finds a job and a place to live, thanks to Miles (Morgan Freeman), an eccentric preacher who runs a soup kitchen and an urban ministry. Miles says profound things like, "Why be afraid of a God you don't believe in?"

Manuel also finds someone in need of rescuing, another part of his program. She's Sofia (Kirsten Dunst), a dazed-and-confused rich girl who spends far too much time getting wasted at the rave club across the street from Miles' place.

Writer-director Ed Solomon is best known for writing the scripts for "Men in Black," "Charlie's Angels" and both "Bill & Ted" movies. He's also the writer for the upcoming comedy "The In-Laws." Obviously, he's trying to go in a different direction with "Levity." Considering he could spend the rest of his life writing sequels for established franchises, it's brave of him to put himself out there with a movie like this.

Solomon's no dummy; he's hired four of the most gifted actors in the business. But he doesn't know what to do with them. Performers this good can take care of themselves, and they do. But there's only so much fleshing out you can do with underwritten roles. The actors are also hindered by an unconvincing plot that Solomon does his best to camouflage via heavy atmospherics.

The movie means to be brooding and thoughtful, and at times it is. Still, "Levity" would be much better if it had lightened up a little.

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