2001, 1 hr 40 min., Rated PG-13.�Dir: Joe Roth. Cast: Julia Roberts (Kiki), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Gwen Harrison), John Cusack (Eddie Thomas), Billy Crystal (Lee), Hank Azaria (Hector), Stanley Tucci (Kingman), Christopher Walken (Hal), Seth Green (Danny).

I actually went to see America's Sweethearts not because of Julia or Catherine Zeta-Jones or Billy Crystal, but because I know I can count on John Cusack only taking parts in films that are good or great. And he doesn't fail me this time, either. This one's good and cutesy, just a fun time at the theater.

Naturally (as in, the Tinseltown realm of name-first-on-the-marquee reality) while the title refers to Hollywood power couple Eddie (Cusack) and Gwen (Zeta-Jones), the real sweetheart is Julia, which is fine. She flashes that wide smile and shows off those brown eyes frequently. But all have a good time in their roles and see the wealth of screen time spread around evenly.

PLOT: Julia plays Kiki, sister and assistant to diva actress Zeta-Jones, your typical H-wood flake shacked up with her Spanish boyfriend played by Hank Azaria (frequently using his broken English for a laugh). Meanwhile, Cusack is having a breakdown due to their marital troubles, and while he hasn't made a film in months her last two bombed at the box office. And golly, she hasn't even been nominated for a Golden Globe in forever! Pretty much the entire picture takes place during a weekend junket to as studio exec Crystal tries to get Eddie and Gwen back one more time in front of the cameras to promote their final movie together.

There are some great supporting roles for those who frequent that position from Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken and Seth Green. Tucci is the studio exec who would just as well see someone ruin their careers to help a movie's gross, Walken a Stanley Kubrick-like wacko director who works out of the Unabomber's cabin in his backyard, and Green is Crystal's apprentice learning the good (and crazy) habits of Hollywood business.

Only a couple of complaints: The music's a bit much (the songs, and sometimes the score), which seem a tad overwhelming to the fluffy romantic comedy style of the picture, and the songs themselves are underwhelming in potency. Second, there are some crass jokes and unnecessary foul language that makes it more adult than the film needed to be.

So go see it, have a few laughs, play along with the predictable plot and laugh at the Hollywood parodies that envelop much of the script.

The verdict: -- No depth, but plenty of laughs.

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