MetroMix

Relationships are at the core of 'The Hungry Bachelors Club'

Gregory Ruzzin’s “The Hungry Bachelors Club,” produced by the team that gave us the award-winning documentary “Waco: The Rules Of Engagement,” is in many ways a trifle, a low-key romantic comedy about a close-knit group of friendly oddballs who occasionally gather for discussion, companionship and home-cooked meals. Where it rises above the ordinary is in its attempt to address issues of personal consequence - like infidelity, interracial romance and surrogate motherhood - even as it maintains its tenuous comic roots.

Unfortunately, those concerns are not always dealt with successfully, due in part to some sluggish writing and the inconsistencies of the main players. Strong characters include Delmar (Jorja Fox), the single mom/earth mother of the group, who dreams of opening her own restaurant someday, and Moses (Bill Nunn), a soft-spoken ex-con whose love of cooking is equal to his passion for old cars. As the circle widens, however, the members become sketchier, including Marlon (David Shackelford), a drunken wannabe novelist who has the extreme hots for Delmar’s frustrated roommate, Hortense (Suzanne Mara), whose own biological clock is ticking as she waits for her lawyer boyfriend to pop the question.

Chances are that “The Hungry Bachelors Club” will drift through theaters for a couple of weeks before showing up on video shelves this winter, but those who are partial to a soothing cinematic Sunday meal of, say, roast chicken and potatoes instead of something more daring may find this gentle tale of love delayed and dreams deferred to be surprisingly satisfying. MPAA rating: PG-13.