Worldly, willowy art dealer from Chicago, a newlywed hoping to sign a notoriously shy, eccentric artist to her gallery, travels with her spouse down to North Carolina for the meeting; her husband's family, whom he hasn't seen in three years, happens to live nearby, and the husband's pregnant sister-in-law develops a hero-worship for the new in-law. Carefully-woven but frustratingly hesitant screenplay never allows a character to finish his or her own thoughts; the start-and-stop conversations are the basis for the relationships which transpire here--but since nothing is ever really said, the film seems rather facetious in an annoying way. On the other hand, it has some very good acting work by Amy Adams as the perky expectant mother, Alessandro Nivola as the prodigal son, and Scott Wilson as the hen-pecked patriarch (Wilson's gentle, passive face and busy hands are a thing of beauty, yet director Phil Morrison always has him entering and exiting in the middle of scenes). Some of the dramatic consequences of this family reunion aren't delved into with the depth they require in order to really succeed--and again, the problem lies with Angus MacLachlan's screenplay--but there are memorable characters here and some funny talk and local color. Morrison seems to want to get out of town as fast as the city couple does, which makes one wonder where his heart lies within this piece. **1/2 from ****