"The Last International Playboy": Trite and uninteresting

Jack Frost, the title character in "The Last International Playboy," is having an existential crisis.

"Ever feel like you're not here?" he wonders. "You're not you anymore, and it's not going to get any better."

He's also bummed because his childhood sweetheart is marrying someone else, and he's no longer Peter Pan. In fact, it's been about seven years since he wholeheartedly embraced his ability to sleep around.

Unfortunately, by the time the word "existential" turns up — spoken by Jack's precocious 11-year-old pal, Sophie — you may have lost all patience with Jack, Sophie and their Manhattan friends, including his obnoxious best friend, Scotch.

They're deeply uninteresting people, thanks to a trite and far-fetched script. There's very little the actors can do to make them credible.

Jason Behr, who showed some promise in the television series "Roswell" and the gay coming-of-age drama "Rites of Passage," quickly turns Jack into a black hole. Monet Mazur, playing the love of his life, Carolina, seems equally lost. It's left to child actors, in flashbacks, to establish the connection between their characters.

Mike Landry walks off with what's left of the picture by making Scotch so "socially retarded" (Jack's description) that you can't stop watching him. He turns every boozy attempt at seduction into a train wreck.

But why Jack would tolerate and even encourage such behavior is largely a mystery. This is a bromance without a reason.

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com