Cute. Cute. Cute.

Lawrence Kasdan has written for and directed many of the best put-together ensemble casts in his long career, in such films as "The Big Chill" and "Grand Canyon", and "Mumford" sees him returning to the comedy-drama genre which he handles so well. The film is a buoyant, breezy look at damaged lives on the mend, with an intriguing protagonist and a cast of amusing oddballs filling out the fodder.

In the small town of Mumford, the most popular psychologist happens to be a certain Dr. Mumford (Loren Dean), a man whom no one quite remembers the past of. What they do agree is that he is one of the best in his craft. His patients, which include a compulsive shopper (Mary McDonnell), a pharmacist with an over-active imagination, and a misfit teenager, all seem quirky and endearing rather than depressed and seriously troubled. His landlady, Lily (Alfre Woodard), is a lonely soul in search of love, and as the film opens, he takes on three interesting new patients. One, Skip Skipperton (Jason Lee), happens to be a computer wunderkind whose company, Panda Modem, supports the livelihood of the entire town - with so much money and power, however, Skip remains a sweet-natured frat boy with hang-ups about his relationships with women, and seeks the doctor's help in coming to terms with his anxiety and loneliness. Another patient, an obnoxious lawyer (Martin Short) with delusions of grandeur, becomes an enemy when the doctor refuses to continue treating him and he sets out to expose him as a fraud. This spells trouble because the doctor is a man with a shady past who definitely isn't who he seems to be at all. His problems are compounded by new patient number three (Hope Davis), a young woman who suffers from a genuine psychological malady - chronic fatigue syndrome - and with whom he begins to fall in love. By the time the film is over, secrets are exposed, true love is unexpectedly found, and one great mystery remains.

As written and directed by Kasdan, "Mumford" may be the cutest movie released this year. The premise is inherently amusing, and Kasdan sharply mocks the psychology industry without being mean-spirited. Although almost all his characters are caricatures, he's cast some very capable actors to bring them to life. However, a major problem with his film is the uneven tone that is struck between the high comedy and melodrama in the script. Kasdan's balance of the lighter and darker elements of his story sometimes comes crashing down, like when the underlying seriousness of the problems suffered by his characters, or the deep dark secret harbored by his protagonist, are exposed - in these moments, the film becomes an uneasy mix of drama and misplaced comedy, and it all seems strangely jarring. It is to Kasdan's credit, however, that these trouble spots are smoothed over pretty well, and he keeps the proceedings apace with a deft, light touch that signals a kinder, gentler approach to his characters than in his previous forays into ensemble comedy.

His large and talented cast seem to be enjoying themselves onscreen, as well, and a playful sense of fun is imparted to the viewing audience. Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard and Martin Short all shine in their uni-dimensional characters, while Jason Lee (best known for his work in Kevin Smith's "Mall Rats" and "Chasing Amy") gives a refreshingly endearing spin on a trickily written character. Hope Davis, whose pinched features make her remarkably suitable for this role, is subtly moving and hilarious in her handful of scenes, and she shares a wonderful chemistry with Kasdan's best find, Loren Dean. Kasdan admits that Dean, whose long list of credits (including "1492: Conquest of Paradise", "Mrs. Winterbourne", "Gattaca" and a film that infamously featured Nicole Kidman either sitting, lying or kneeling down whenever co-star Dustin Hoffman was around, "Billy Bathgate") has never been parlayed into major recognition, was cast precisely for his lack of history in the eyes of the audience. As the multi-faceted protagonist, he manages to convey much of the man's contradictions without ever resorting to obvious gestures. It's a wonderful performance that anchors the film very nicely.

In a fall season over-laden with serious dramas, "Mumford" stands a good chance of becoming a mainstream comedy hit (the indie-comedy-hit title already belongs to the phenomenally buzzed "Happy, Texas"). The fact that the various strands of the story don't always mesh well together can be easily overlooked by the haze of cute whimsy that envelopes the film, making it easy to like. The audience I saw the movie with cheered and clapped as the credits rolled, and it seems very possible that many others will as well.

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