TAKING THE DEVIL'S ADVICE

A silly situation and even sillier people populate this series of clever one-liners in search of a plot. A man moves in with his ex-wife, their kids, and her new husband in order to write his autobiography. The man, Oliver, lives in the ether of philosophy, oblivious to the real world and the foolhardiness of his action. Cornelius Garrett’s performance brightens witty exchanges in arguments and brings freshness to occasionally bizarre situations. Anne Fine never fully develops either character or story, leaving it up to Garrett to add dimension to a mostly flat landscape. This he does. He squeezes the few funny lines for every drop of humor, performing with gusto, which may be a good enough reason to spend time with this. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 03/JAN 04]