Like a lot of summer romances, Must Love Dogs leaves us wondering what might have happened, if only ...

As these things always do, it starts well.

Inspired by the best-selling novel by Claire Cook, which recounts the on-again, off-again relationship of two divorcees who meet through the personal ads, screenwriter/director Gary David Goldberg has updated things by going online to set up the romance in question.

The complication is that neither of the principals has placed an ad. Sarah (Diane Lane) has been profiled by a pushy-but-loving sister (Elizabeth Perkins), while Jake (John Cusack) has ended up online courtesy of his womanizing best-friend (Ben Shenkman).

Neither Sarah nor Jake is a dog owner, but both profiles end with the admonishment: "Must love dogs," because apparently, only really good people love dogs. Or something like that.

Whatever, the two leads are charming and despite the formulaic approach Goldberg takes to telling their story, you start to feel as if it just may be a great date movie for the over-30 crowd.

Goldberg even allows us to have some fun with Sarah's pushy family, led by Christopher Plummer as the devastatingly charming patriarch and with his protaganists' other dalliances.

Sarah, it turns out, has been exchanging lingering glances with Dermot Mulroney, cast as father of one of the students at the pre-school where she teaches, while Jake reluctantly dates a hard-bodied young bimbo at the law office where his buddy works.

But beware! Every time you're just about to settle back into mature romantic comedy mode as if it were a warm bath, things get silly. Really silly.

Not content to simply tell his story well, Goldberg keeps cranking things up. A mad midnight dash in search of condoms, a series of first-dates from hell, gay couples and manicures (don't ask!) -- it's as though Goldberg thinks we are all suffering from some sort of comedic Attention Deficit Disorder. His frantic search for laughs hits its nadir in what could have been a lovely turn for Stockard Channing that in the end is redeemed only by acting skill and inherent dignity.

It's not as though these things aren't funny -- it's just that by cramming them into one movie, they keep tripping over the storyline.

Ultimately, Must Love Dogs is like a cute puppy -- often as adorable as hell, but finally, it's as much about those accidents on the floor.
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