Frontal enthralls despite budget

What can you do with 18 days, a digital camera and a $2 million budget that is less than the paycheck most Hollywood actors are used to, including the star of your film, Oscar- winner Julia Roberts? If you are Steven Soderbergh you can make the artsy film-within-a-film Full Frontal. The movie has been the poster child for mixed reviews since its release because its experimental nature often overshadows the witty dialogue and endearing neuroses of the characters. The story focuses on seven people making their way through a single day in Los Angeles. Francesca (Roberts) is an actress who plays a reporter in the movie shot throughout the actual film. Calvin (Blair Underwood) plays her co-star, and many of the scenes between them explore interracial relationships and their acceptance in Hollywood films. But perhaps the most compelling couple in the movie is Carl (David Hyde Pierce of Frasier) and Lee (Catherine Kenner of Being John Malkovich), whose marriage is on the brink. Lee, a corporate woman, nabs some of the best scenes in the movie, such as when she brings employees into her office and subjects them to tasks like standing on one foot on a chair and naming the countries in Africa. As the audience follows her mental breakdown, they also witness Carl's career nosedive, while learning the importance of drinking beer from the bottle rather than pouring it into a frosty mug. Luckily, Carl has a few things to fall back on after his magazine writing career goes under. He also writes screenplays, including the film-within-the-film and the play The Sound and the F"uhrer. The play stars Boston Public's Nicky Katt as Hitler, discussing his problems with a therapist. Despite not knowing whether to cringe or laugh (or maybe because of it), the piece is one of the stand-outs in the movie. One of the most interesting aspects of Full Frontal is the opportunity to see what of their own lives individuals carry into their passion, which is most easily deciphered by linking Carl's real-life events to things he places in his screenplays, from red stationary to a need for reassurance. Perhaps the character that is mentioned most in the movie, but appears least is Gus (David Duchovny), the producer of the film's film. Lack of screen time is no reflection of his importance to the message of the movie, "everyone needs a release." As Lee's masseuse sister (Mary McCormack) works her magic on Gus's body, audiences get a bit of an eye opener not only from his strange behavior, but from the activity hinted at under the sheet. While many viewers are pleased with Soderbergh's return to his Sex, Lies and Videotape roots, many see experiment as regression rather than potential to move forward. If it's a flop, it's one of the most enthralling flops audiences will ever want to be a part of. Full Frontal is playing at Regal Downtown West 8. Rating: B-