Skin Deep

Blake Edwards's return to the male-in-meltdown territory he explored in "10" and "That's Life," stars John Ritter as unemployed writer named Zach, who is not only suffering from writer's block, but his drinking is out of control, as is his obsessive womanizing, and, not surprisingly, his wife wants to end their marriage. To add to his problems, his house has just burned down, and his agent is knocking at death's door. But since this is a Blake Edwards comedy, Zach has enough charm and relative affluence to continue his pursuits, which the director regards with a bemused detachment. One of his girlfriends sets his piano on fire, and another gets him to wear a glow-in-the-dark condom, allowing him to engage in a condom duel with her jealous, similarly clad rock-star boyfriend. Eventually, Zach turns to fatherly bartender Barney, who should have long ago cut off his bar tab, and psychiatrist Dr. Westford, and both tell him to stop destroying himself through drink. Ritter rings some surprisingly complex changes in the wildly farcical film, and, in the condom battle, participates in one of the funniest moments ever committed to celluloid while suggesting an interesting new subtext.