Directed with shaky indifference by Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine pairs up Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) with Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain). The only catch being they have no chemistry, not even any workmanlike chemistry. This attempt at art fails to gel for other reasons -- a screenplay (by Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis) which feels ad-libbed, suspect pacing and two redundant time frames in which the love story unfolds.

The idea of seeing a relationship evolve at two different stages may seem novel enough, yet there is little to connect with in Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling). They simply go through life bickering, cuddling, shopping and hiding out at a place called “the Future Room.” The audience may feel queasy with every stylistic indulgence -- out of focus camerawork, the dominance of the colour blue -- that sort of thing.

Blue Valentine could be summed up as all chat and no dialogue. No character makes a point that goes deeper than the obvious. On top of which, the performances rate as purely average. With Williams, her attempts at being quirky, off-the-wall and spontaneous don’t work because her blank facial expressions tell another story. Gosling deserves no greater mention with his puzzling turn as her husband. Other minor supporting players recede into the background.

Editors Jim Helton and Ron Patane seem content to settle for a meandering tempo. The opening sequence involving a missing dog feels mundane and out of context. Quite simply, it bears no relation to any other part of the story. As for Gosling’s hidden talent --singing -- it turns out to be no talent whatsoever, for he can’t sing in tune.

The first meeting between Gosling and Williams smacks of coincidence. Having just finished a job, Gosling’s character spots the woman of his dreams through an opening in a door. He offers her a business card and hopes to hear from her again soon. Couldn’t the three screenwriters who worked on Blue Valentine have come up with something better than that?

The potential audience for Blue Valentine feels incredibly small. Perhaps housewives who like soap operas will love it -- but that’s all. Gosling loses his edge and Williams looks bored out of her mind. Maybe I am in the minority but the film has precious little going on for me.

(Released by The Weinstein Company and rated “R” on appeal for graphic sexual content, language, and a beating; originally rated “NC-17” for a scene of explicit sexual content.)