Shaking the Tree

Four old high school buddies now face the '90s with mounting dread. The marital and extra-marital agonies, late adolescent angst attacks, flirtations with low life: Clark's film could almost be 'Diner: The Next Generation'. Michael (Savant) is wondering whether his wife will produce a baby before he produces his novel; nerdish power broker Barry (Gross) can't stop kvetching about his wife's sexual history; amiable ex-boxer Duke (Wilde) is having trouble Relating to Daddy; and Sully (Hansen), a rich kid, likes to live seedy. For the first half-hour, the film just about overcomes its limitations by fielding sound acting, promising characterisations, and a winning sense of place (this is a Chicago movie and proud of it). But having told their menfolk 'We need to talk' once too often, the women vanish into the background, while the guys embark on a dreary, mechanical round of griping, barroom buddying, and nick-of-time problem solving.