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'Expired'

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BY RAFER GUZMÁN | rafer.guzman@newsday.com

June 20, 2008

While watching "Expired," a low-budget drama about two parking-meter cops in love, you may wonder: Why isn't Jason Patric a star? He has the fine bones and baby blues of a Pitt, plus the acting chops of a Hoffman (Philip Seymour, and maybe even Dustin). But Patric gravitates toward art-house fare like the 1990 noir "After Dark, My Sweet" (he played an addle-brained boxer) and Neil LaBute's 1998 drama "Your Friends and Neighbors" (a misogynistic creep). As usual, Patric is riveting and essentially flawless in "Expired," but the film is unlikely to rocket him to fame.

Samantha Morton, another fine actor with an indie resumé ("Control," "Mister Lonely") plays Claire, a meter-maid perfectly suited to the job. Despite constant insults from irked drivers, she remains upbeat and open. She's an odd match - maybe the only match - for Patric's Jay, a noxious ball of rage who savors every citation he issues. Their unlikely romance flickers hopefully, at least until writer-director Cecilia Miniucchi decides she'd rather delve into the downward spiral of an abusive relationship.

Abusive it becomes, and tiresome, too, as Claire endures nearly two hours of verbal cruelty with nary a peep. Miniucchi tries to hold our attention with weird stunts - a double role from Teri Garr, for instance - but to no avail. Despite terrific efforts from its lead players, "Expired" runs its meter out long before the end.

(unrated)

PLOT Two parking-meter cops with very different temperaments strike up a troubled romance.

CAST Samantha Morton, Jason Patric, Teri Garr

LENGTH 1:46

PLAYING AT Angelika Film Center, Manhattan

BOTTOM LINE Despite a pitch-perfect performance from Patric, the movie gets trapped in a repetitive cycle of abuse.