Picture Perfect

Television actress Jennifer Anniston makes her feature-film debut in a starring role as Kate, a bright but mousey and single young advertising executive seeking to climb the corporate ladder. But though she has all the right qualifications professionally, Kate has a problem in her boss's eyes: she's single. In his opinion, only married and henceforth deeply indebted people should be on the fast track for promotions because they have more motivation to remain loyal to a company. Desperate to ascend, Kate follows overenthusiastic colleague Darcy's (Illeana Douglas) bad advice and fabricates a fabulous fiance. Kate's other motivation for inventing a lover is to capture the attentions of the office Lothario, Sam (Kevin Bacon), a lean, sexy guy who thinks Kate is too good to warrant his bad-boy affections. For her dream fiance, Kate chooses handsome, heroic wedding-photographer Nick (Jay Mohr), whom she recently met at a friend's marriage in Boston. Not realizing that Nick is secretly in love with her, Kate offers him $1,000 to pretend to be her intended and to break up with her during an important business dinner. Meanwhile, Sam, upon learning that Kate is a taken women, launches a successful seduction campaign. With everything finally going her way, Kate couldn't be happier. But when Nick finally arrives, her careful plans begin to go spectacularly awry, and she is forced to face the truth about her feelings for the sneaky Sam and the patient, knightly Nick. Picture Perfect is an average-quality romantic comedy, one that would work especially on television. Anniston does well in her role as the confused Kate, exuding an off-beat beauty, considerable charm and a calculated comic timing, but whether or not she has the chops to make it as a movie star remains to be seen. Her co-star Mohr (Tom Cruise's slimy rival in Jerry Maguire) is more natural and charismatic. Though more low-key than the tightly-wound Anniston, he managed to steal most of the scenes in which he appeared.