LOVE FROM DOWN UNDER

At one point in Hotel de Love, the main character exclaims, "Don't analyze me, I'm too shallow." This would also seem to be a fitting plea for the film itself.

While it may be tempting to dissect "Hotel de Love" as a commentary on love in the time of non-commitment, viewers would be better off simply enjoying the movie for its clever brand of comedy and succumbing to the irrational romantic within.

Directed by Australian first-time director Craig Rosenberg "Hotel de Love" is a light-hearted romantic comedy with enough quirks and originality to distinguish it from the rest of the pack in this oft-attempted genre.

Unfortunately, most Americans' cinematic exposure to the "land down under" has been limited to the Crocodile Dundee stereotypes and the swine-starring Babe. While some of the romantically confused characters in Hotel de Love may seem like talking pigs at times, this is one Australian film worth a viewing.

Set in the Hotel de Love--an establishment as cheesy as its linguistically confused name--this is the story of two fraternal twins, Rick (Aden Young) and Stephen (Simon Bossell), who suddenly encounter the object of their long-lost high school obsession, Melissa (Saffron Burrows), at the hotel. A lonely stockbroker, Stephen finally sees a chance to express his love for the girl he never had, while Melissa is desperately trying to rekindle the romance with her bookish fiance. Rick, disillusioned with love, works as the cynical manager of the hotel and finds renewed hope with the arrival of his one-time summer sweetheart.

While the plot can be a bit predictable and tedious at times, it is salvaged by the spectacle of the circus surrounding it. Perhaps the most valuable supporting role belongs to the hotel itself. Inspired by a Niagara Falls honeymoon hotel, the Hotel de Love features outrageously creative "theme" rooms such as the "Garden of Eden" room, complete with tree, forbidden fruit and serpent, and the "The Grand Finale Passion Suite," modeled after a cricket stadium with astro-turf and recordings of cheering crowds. The rooms nearly steal every scene in which they appear.

The hotel also boasts wonderfully cheesy attractions, such as the 3-foot tall "Niagara Smalls," a palm reader and a tuxedo-clad lounge singer who puts his own corny twists on well-worn love songs like "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "I Honestly Love You."

In addition, the immature and foolish romantic escapades of the twenty-something protagonists are well-contrasted with the twins' constantly bickering parents who attempt to rekindle a marriage that long ago degenerated into mutual abhorrence.

The Australian cast will provide some welcome discoveries to American audiences. Often Bossell successfully seems Jim Carrey-like in his facial expressions and awkward unpredictability. And the coyly acted romance between Young and Burrows, along with their good looks, may set a romantic heart or two aflutter.

Despite its openly sappy ending, Hotel de Love will probably succeed in melting even the most cynical hearts. As writer and director Rosenberg says, "If you're a romantic, I think you'll really love the thing. And even if you're borderline, maybe it'll push you that way."