Ben Kingsley plays a misogynistic professor of literature and Dennis Hopper plays his poet friend in "Elegy."

Other articles by Chris Hewitt:

Parody, grossness live on in gay sequel 'Prophecy' needs its own self-help If you like violence, then wade right in Garfield looking good, but cat's material still for the birds 75% of movie trailers lie, preview maker estimates Looking for cerebral comedy? Try 'Muslim World' Not enough bang bang for buck in 'Kiss Kiss,' a snarky film noirBook to film transition can be hard Dillon driven to tout 'Crash' rather than 'Love Bug' remake Suck on this: 'The Pacifier' not half bad

Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Construction
West-Press
Printing Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor

Writer/director Isabelle Coixet has figured out how to minimize the middle-age-guy's-outrage-that-women-have-minds-of-their-own in Philip Roth's novel "The Dying Animal."

Oh, the lead character, a professor of literature played by Ben Kingsley, still says moronic stuff like, "When you make love to a woman, you get revenge for all the things that defeated you in life," but at least "Elegy" has the grace to call him on his stupidity rather than buying into it. He's a jerk, but unlike the adaptation of Roth's "The Human Stain," "Elegy" knows it.

Minus the misogyny, though, there's not a lot to "Elegy," which gives the professor one last chance to confront his own selfishness.

There's a graceful performance by Penélope Cruz as one of the students Kingsley boffs, and there's some expertly written dialogue, as in this superb phrase: "On the nights she isn't with me, I am deformed, thinking of her." But that line is one of many that calls attention to the fact that everything in "Elegy" feels preordained.

It's one of those movies where all of the supporting characters exist only to teach the main character valuable lessons.

The professor's poet friend (I think that I shall never see a poet as phony and unbelievable as Dennis Hopper) gets sick, but who cares since the hero learns to be compassionate?

Cruz and Patricia Clarkson, as another former student, get their hearts broken, but who cares since there's probably another grad student somewhere down the line?

"Elegy" is a well-made movie, with several revelatory performances (including Deborah Harry's quiet work as Hopper's wife), but the main character is so unappealing, that's what I was left with: Who cares?