Trust me, it's not often I criticize a movie for being too short.

Being the cheapest "name" director in America has obvious advantages for John Sayles -- not least of which is that he can make virtually anything he wants.

A big disadvantage however, is that he's unable to reshoot on the fly and is pretty much stuck with the script as written. This is a problem with Casa de los Babys, a terrific idea, sensitively handled (six gringas live in a spa-like environment to meet residence requirements to adopt a South American baby).

But it's squeezed into a 90-minute narrative shoebox that tries to do justice to each of the six protagonists, as well as various Latino locals, such that every character in the movie basically gets one scene worth writing home about.

The prolific Sayles (Lone Star, Matewan) does play to his strengths. He writes convincing dialogue, particularly in some of the low-key "alpha female" interaction, and, as always, attracts a great cast willing to work for scale. In this case it's Daryl Hannah, Mary Steenburgen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lili Taylor, Susan Lynch and Marcia Gay Harden as the six childless women who set themselves up in a pampered bureaucratic limbo waiting for the patter of little feet.

The great cast also includes Rita Morena as the proprietress of the colourful hotel that caters to gringas waiting for babies, plus a cast of talented Mexican actors who also each have their moment (like the angry young man who complains about the imperialist aspects of the whole enterprise).

The result is that, despite the calibre of everyone involved, it all seems a bit untrue (not least because it takes place in an unnamed South American country). Each actress has a revelatory moment that in a few cases (Hannah's for one) is so lacking in buildup it seems to come out of nowhere with the force of a surprise punch. Particularly awkward is a scene where the Irish mom-to-be Eileen and a Spanish-speaking maid named Asuncion (Vanessa Martinez) pour their hearts out to each other's uncomprehending ears. On the other hand, some people who have seen it told me they consider this the most compelling scene in the movie -- which shows how divided fest audiences were about Sayles' latest.

In all, Casa de los Babys is an especially low-key turn for Sayles, a movie crammed full of ideas that were undoubtedly percolating in the director's mind for some time. It won't win him many converts, but even the least of his efforts is worth a look.

(This film is rated 14-A)

More Movie Reviews