This year's crowd-pleasing romantic comedy arrives in the form of this Sundance sensation about two individuals who are perfect for each other, if only they could meet. Yes, it's the old "take the whole movie to meet" ploy yet again. Although many feel that the premise plays out nicely, one cannot help but acutely feel how old and tired such an approach is, regardless of the amount of dressing up the script attempts.

The film opens with Erin (Hope Davis) being dumped by her long time boyfriend Sean. A medical school drop-out turned nurse, Erin falls into a semi-funk, angry and embittered - but since this is a romantic comedy, she doesn't stay in this mood for too long. Her mother, a vivacious woman caught up in a tempestuous relationship with her daughter, attempts to push matters along by taking out a personal ad on Erin's behalf. Through a series of vignettes, she meets potential suitors, all the while undecided as to whether she even wants to pursue a relationship with anyone else. One of the respondents to her ad has a brother, Alan, who works as a plumber in order to attend classes in marine biology. The film constantly creates situations where the two protagonists are physically proximate but emotionally and mentally far apart. By the time the film is over, however, audiences are guaranteed a happy ending for both Erin and Alan.

Brad Anderson's script (co-written with Lyn Vaus) is neither very funny nor witty, and it is nowhere near as charming as it imagines itself to be. Some moments of the film feel particularly contrived, and its constant allusion to the fact that Erin and Alan are perfect for each other feels patently unconvincing because they never do appear to be particularly compatible in any way. Also, Anderson over-indulges his own material, letting some scenes play on for far too long, abruptly cutting away from the handful of good ones he has. As editor of the film, he favors reaction shots, inadvertently stunting the effect of his actors' work. The use of a shaky camera technique also has the effect of causing illness to a less patient member of the audience.

Anderson's actors are all very good, however. Hope Davis finally gets an opportunity to play a dark and angry soul, as opposed to the broadly comedic women she has played thus far. Her Erin is endearing and capable of great cruelty and also tenderness, and Davis fleshes out the character's nuances. Her work is convincing and understated. Alan Gelfant is also very charming in the way he assails his role. Due to the relatively smaller size of his role, however, the film belongs very much to Davis, who often rises above the material.

"Next Stop, Wonderland" is a slight, occasionally charming, sporadically entertaining film. It has nothing much to recommend itself with, but its modest pleasures are quite enjoyable and prove to be favorable over other summer fare at the theaters.