David Duchovny Sacrifices His Best Assets for New Film

'Trust the Man', the latest romantic comedy from the director Bart Freundlich has a cast so saturated with stars that it becomes obvious from the very beginning why they have been chosen. David Duchovny, Julianne Moore (the director's wife) and her son, Cal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Billy Crudup, Ellen Barkin and Eva Mendes put on a great show on the big screen that, unfortunately, remains limited to it.

Even an untrained observer can see that there is very little interaction between the leading actors, who just remain within the limits of their written lines and somehow refuse to transpose the magic into reality. The story is about two couples and, more specifically, about two men who realize that their relationships have reached a dead end and that they must do something to bring them back to life.

The comedy is there, all right, but it's a not so subtle type, something that kind of tells you 'OK, you have to laugh now!'. Besides, the happy ending lacks one of the main characteristics of the classic romantic comedy: the solution to the problem. Basically, the answer offered by the 'Trust the Man' addressed no case in particular and it seems left at the viewer's latitude to judge.

But probably the funniest thing about 'Trust the Man' happens outside the cameras' range and includes David Duchovny being kicked in the nuts by the director's son, Cal. The boy appears a little in the movie (why are we not surprised?) as the son of a woman with whom David's character has an affair.

The scene was to show the boy hitting David in the genitals but, a little nervous and probably too worked up for his grand movie debut, Cal got carried away and hit Duchovny twice, when the cameras weren't even filming. And then once again for the movie! So, the actor decided that he will have his two children, Kid and Madelaine kick Bart in the groin on the very next occasion they see him.

All in all, the movie is worth seeing when you have nothing else to do, on a very, very rainy day and when you're passing a dry spell of inspiration. 'Trust the Man' premiered in Chelsea on Monday and it will be released in a limited edition on August 18. If you're a fan of the genre, have a look at the trailer before throwing your money away.