Some have described this as a sort of "When Harry Met Sally" for the West Coast, mainly because the two lovers meet repeatedly over the course of years. In this respect the two are similar but not in any other way.
The director's first feature is a reasonable romantic comedy about two "kooks" that fall in love whilst trying to find their respective dreams in live. Josh Charles dreams of being a traffic reporter like his idol John Goodman. Anne Heche dreams of a career in dance. The film follows their love affair from childhood to adulthood in LA.
The film tries to make the characters interesting by giving them quirks. Charles' interest in traffic is quite well explained but still seems strangely unlikely. The other characters don't fit their actions at all and aren't developed well - from Heche to Goodman they all seem to be written as "quirky" to be interesting, while their actions are written to move the story along.
The story tries to draw the traffic element into some sort of metaphor for life & love but again it doesn't really fit. Even the soundtrack, despite containing good songs, is the usual fare for this type of romantic film.
Overall a poorly developed film that never really convinces - from the quirks, the performances and the ending. Only the scenery and the idea of traffic as a metaphor for love is there to hold the interest.
