Not much reason to go to ‘Ohio’

Parker Posey, the queen of the indies, is a stylish actress, but there’s not much she can do with the flat, trite sex comedy “The Oh in Ohio,” written by Adam Wierzbianski and directed by Billy Kent without a trace of imagination or originality.

Posey’s Priscilla is an elegant, hotshot Cleveland advertising executive whose frigidity, after a decade of marriage to bearded high school teacher Jack (Paul Rudd), has at last driven them apart. While Priscilla belatedly seeks help, leading to a variety of sexual adventures, Jack commences an affair with an 18-year-old student (Mischa Barton).

There’s no sense of pace or reality in this film, which seems a rehash of countless other movies. Liza Minnelli gives the picture a jolt of energy as a New Age sex guru, and Danny DeVito steals the show -- were it worth stealing -- as a brash swimming pool impresario who’s a lot more than he seems. Ohio, and Cleveland in particular, deserve much better than this.

*

“The Oh in Ohio,” unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 31 minutes. In selected theaters.