It’s a sad state of affairs when I’m tempted to lavish praise on an average movie like One Night at McCool’s simply because it’s better than many of the dreadful films released lately. Compared to offerings like Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Say It Isn’t So, and Heartbreakers, this film noir parody is a breath of fresh air despite its many faults. I especially enjoyed Liv Tyler’s tongue-in-cheek portrayal of a sultry femme fatale. Her seductive performance overshadows the uninspired acting of Matt Dillon, John Goodman, and Paul Reiser --- who play three gullible men caught in a materialistic woman’s web.

Tyler (Armageddon) is Jewel Valentine, a gorgeous criminal who knows how to manipulate the opposite sex. She appears to get everything right in her best role yet, thanks in no small measure to stunning camera shots of the young actress in a variety of sensuous poses. Matching Tyler’s beauty is her uncanny ability to appear innocent and vulnerable while engaged in downright vicious acts. Because she’s better than ever in this film, I suspect new director Harold Zwart deserves much of the credit for making Tyler look so good.

As the result of an incident at McCool’s bar one night, Jewel meets a not-too-bright bartender (Dillon), a suspicious police detective (Goodman), and the bartender’s sleazy lawyer cousin (Reiser). All three become obsessed with her --- each one first seeing Jewel in sexy slow motion, then later believing her to be just the type of woman he wants. Jewel can be all things to all men, so her victims see her with different eyes. To Dillon she’s a gold digger, but to Goodman she seems sweet and innocent. The lawyer thinks she’s an aggressive dominatrix.

Each man tells his story about Jewel to a special confidante. The bartender pours out his soul to a trashy hit man (Michael Douglas, wearing the tackiest hairpiece he could find) at a bingo parlor. The lawyer reveals all to a bemused psychiatrist (Reba McEntire) during one of their sessions, and the detective confesses his impure feelings to an overly interested priest (Richard Jenkins).

Even for an over-the-top movie like this, discussing plans about a contract killing during a crowded bingo game and accepting country singer McEntire as a mental health professional are too farfetched, so those scenes didn’t work for me. Neither did Goodman’s (O Brother, Where Art Thou? ) strained conversations with Jenkins (Say It Isn’t So) in the church. I find it hard to believe anyone would raise his voice to talk about "lust" with a nun supervising choir practice close by. Only the old Monty Python gang could get away with such nonsense.

Also, I’m not mad about Reiser (Bye, Bye Love) in anything I’ve seen so far. He always seems to be playing himself. He’s particularly ineffective here as a married man with sado-masochistic fantasies. But I did enjoy watching Reiser embarrass himself on film by dressing up in leather and chains. As for Dillon (There’s Something about Mary), he displays little energy in a mediocre performance as the hapless bartender. I know I was supposed to sympathize with this character after Jewel causes him to lose his job, but I just couldn’t manage it. In fact, I had little feeling for anyone in this dark comedy. And that may be its biggest problem. There’s no one to root for. An evil woman and three incredibly stupid men just don’t motivate me to stand up and cheer.

Still, One Night at McCool’s took me along on a wild ride enhanced by lively background music (including songs by Johnny Cash and the Village People). In addition, it earned points from me for a couple of slick surprises and an explosive finish. I have to admit staying awake and not looking at my watch once during the entire movie! That means I’m duty bound to give this uneven flick an almost enthusiastic recommendation.

(Released by USA Films and rated "R" for violence, sexuality, and language.)