Diana Abu-Jaber

This is a semi-mean-spirited movie; had it remained that way, it could have redeemed itself.

Takes a look at the bumpy path to self-discovery.

Terrible, unnamable enemies turn out to be uncompelling indeed.

Basinger herself doesn't have the vibrancy of a female hero.

Foley is an actors' directors stuck here with a genre piece, and it shows: The action (save a killer car chase) is clumsily staged. Still, the story about corrupt police in New York's Chinatown has occasional moments of depth. [12 Mar 1999]

The movie's atmosphere is moody and intense, bubbling like a caldron. Unfortunately, the broth turns out to be stone soup.

The tone of the film malingers somewhere between hyper-real comedy and thriller, but neither element really shines through.

Leaves an unpleasant aftertaste: viewers will find that a musical can indeed help the medicine go down

There's not much of a spell to The Loss of Sexual Innocence, which is a shame, because anything this moody and pretty ought to be spellbinding. [16 Jul 1999]