David Boreanaz

THESE GIRLS *

Starring Caroline Dhavernas, Amanda Walsh. Written and directed by John Hazlett. (14A) 92 min. Opens Mar 24.

No one gets killed for getting laid in These Girls, which is a refreshing change of pace for a Canadian film. That’s not to say this screwball comedy about three small-town girls and the lummox who becomes their private sex slave is good. In fact, it’s dreadfully slack.

Caroline Dhavernas is a long way from Wonderfalls as Keira, an unmotivated 17-year-old burger jockey who decides to spice up her summer by sleeping with buff married man Keith (David Boreanaz). The problem is that her two best friends, Glory (Amanda Walsh) and Lisa (Holly Lewis), have had the same idea. After a period of intense negotiations, they decide to share, resulting in an arrangement that’s less fun for Keith than you might expect.

The same goes for the movie. These Girls wants to be a sweet coming-of-age farce, but no amount of good spirits can overcome such relentlessly lousy writing. The actors do their best (Walsh is fetchingly fragile as the most emotionally attached of the girls), but too often appear to be choking on their ludicrous dialogue; extra pity points for Dhavernas, who has been saddled with a turgid voice-over that seems like an afterthought.