MOVIE REVIEW : ‘Inevitable Grace’: Stars Buried in Clumsy Thriller

There’s no sense of inevitability and little grace to the inept, amateurish psychological thriller “Inevitable Grace” (Monica 4-Plex, Sunset 5). Like countless films by novices, it’s so overwhelmingly inspired by other movies that there’s not a whiff of real life anywhere in it.

Stephanie Knights, who is pretty but has little discernible acting ability, makes her screen debut in a role that would tax the abilities of Meryl Streep. She’s a young psychiatrist doing her residency in a mental institution run by a brittle, officious type (Tippi Hedren).

She believes that the fears expressed by a new patient (Jennifer Nicholson) about her husband (Maxwell Caulfield) may be based in reality. She decides to investigate, only to get inextricably entangled in this sexually ambivalent couple, with Caulfield finally endangering her sanity. None of this is presented by writer-director Alex Canawati with any degree of credibility, originality or involvement; unfortunately, “Inevitable Grace” is not only tedious but also long-winded.

Despite such dreary circumstances, several individuals manage to come through like pros. Hedren remains crisp and focused, and Caulfield manages to sustain an insinuating, enigmatic presence by not taking reams of silly dialogue too seriously. Nicholson, the daughter of Jack Nicholson, also in her film debut, displays poise, but her comparatively small part makes it hard to appraise her abilities. (Nicholson’s mother, Sandra Knight, appears briefly as Caulfield’s mother.)

The talented Taylor Negron has little chance to shine as Knight’s prissy, busybody landlord. Samantha Eggar has a brisk cameo as a nightclub proprietor. No one else has any opportunity to register effectively. On the technical side, cinematographer Christian Sebaldt deserves credit for his painstaking film noir- ish play of light and shadow.

‘Inevitable Grace’

Stephanie Knights: Lisa Kelner Maxwell Caulfield: Adam Cestare Jennifer Nicholson: Veronica Cestare Tippi Hedren: Dr. Marcia Stevens

A Silverstar Pictures presentation. Writer-director Alex Canawati. Additional dialogue Mara Sonnenschein, Jaid Barrymore. Producer Christian Capobianco. Executive producer John Canawati Sr. Cinematographer Christian Sebaldt. Editor Grace Valenti. Costumes Alison Edmond. Music Christopher Whiffen. Production designer Marc Rizzo. Art director Christina Shellen. Set decorator Allison McVann. Sound Sean Sullivan. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Times-rated Mature. Times guidelines: murky adult themes, including sex, nudity, violence and language.