Seeing Other People starts with a premise that does not bode well for sustaining plausibility for the length of a feature film, but I came away satisfied. Writer/Director Wally Wolodarsky (the Simpsons) and his wife Maya Forbes have crafted a modern morality fable that while, certainly not bullet-proof, is solid, thought-provoking and entertaining throughout. A thumbs up for anyone other than people who happen to be in this particular stage of a relationship. If you suspect that you might be in this group wait for DVD so you can watch it by yourself.

Jay Mohr and Juilanne Nicholson star as a happy couple who, for all the world, seem perfect for each other. They've cohabitated for years and intend to marry soon. However trouble begins to brew at their own engagement party when Alice (Nicholson) inadvertently sees a friend of hers have a quick meaningless sexual encounter on her own bed. Alas the seeds of doubt begin to grow in her mind as to whether it might be wise for her to taste of the fruits of the vine, before settling on just one grape. Even though her fiance Ed (Jay Mohr) is a thougtful, loving and successful guy. Thus Alice cooks up a plan whereby both her and Mohr should engage in a period of time where they are allowed to see and have sex with other people. There are other ground rules, no relationships, the sex must be meaningless, and so forth and naturally Ed is incredulous at her proposition, still after putting up a strong defense against such a patently absurd plan on the eve of their marriage, he agrees.

First of all this is a film that never would have worked had it not been for the wonderfully guileless performance of Julianne Nicholson. It is up to her to keep this film from falling into the realm of so-so sit-com territory and also her perfectly nuanced turn keeps you along for the ride without worrying about the holes in it's believablity. She makes you believe that this sort of thing could really happen and upon her performace hangs the success of the fiilm. She is an absolute revelation.

Which isn't to say that Jay Mohr doesn't acquit himself well also, he provides more of the comedy than Nicholson, playing pretty much the same guy he played in Picture Perfect. Also a delight is former Conan O Brien sidekick Andy Richter who plays a friend of the couple who is totally opposed to this ridiculous idea. A character who is sensitive and caring and is for all intents and purposes the film equivalent of a pair of sensible shoes. Still his dry deadpan delivery helped pull the film along as well.

This is not the sort of comedy that offers up knee-slapping laughter, it's more the variety that keeps a pleased smile on your face, but there is a few good hard laughs, particularly toward the end when Mohr, for reasons I won't reveal, is reluctant to call a halt to the experiment, at the same time his finace wants to.

The film makes it's share of insightful points about monagamy and human sexuality and relationships, but certainly none that we haven't seen before. The lessons learned, we knew were going to be learned, before the experiment began, still it's well worth 90 minutes of your time. The point of this film is to watch it and just enjoy it from a more or less voyeristic vantage. In fact both writers also worked on the Larry Sanders show and it's that sort of real "behind-the facade" human nature on display that generates much of the film's wit and charm.