Luke Perry the best 'Good Intentions' has to offer

Sometimes a mind-numbing comedy is just what the doctor ordered. Other times it's not and with "Good Intentions" you get a little bit of both. It's a lackluster film that blends hilarious moments with a core plot that is one of the most ridiculous I've seen in a long, long time.

Etta Milford (Elaine Hendrix) wants the best for her boys -- a good life, college and ultimately a way to bigger and better things. Her Husband Chester (Luke Perry) wants the good things life too -- beer, dirt track cars and for one of his inventions to take off, but has reserved himself to owning the local liquor store.

Chester is always looking for the next money making scheme and thinks his short time worries are taken care of when he makes shed fill with fireworks. But, when it's ignited by his two boys, he sees his hopes of a big payday go up in beautiful steaks of green, blue and red that light up the sky and bring the neighborhood running to enjoy the show.

At her wit's end, Etta decides the only way to stop he husband from squandering the families money on frivolous exploits is to the do the only logical thing -- she will begin to rob her husband's liquor store. Then she can use the money to by antique furniture and make a fortune just like she's seen a million times on the Antique Roadshow.

Makes sense, huh?

But there's a big hitch in her scheme to cash in on her antiques and as with every well-put together plan such as Etta's, things begin to fall apart quickly and she must struggle to salvage her family.

For a small, straight-to-DVD film, "Good Intentions" has a lot of little things working for it. Some nice performances, a few laugh-out-loud scenes and a touching ending are the biggest highlights.

Perry proves he's still a charmer in the role of a dreamer just waiting for his big break. He's the one you find yourself rooting for and not his misguided wife. Hendrix does an OK job as Etta, but her dialogue doesn't do her any favors. It's a little too zippy for my liking.

I will guarantee you there are a few scenes that will leave you snickering with laughter. When Chester gets his new guard dog after being robbed, its first encounter with a customer is one of the funniest scenes of the film.

Another scene that had me rolling is when local policeman Rob (Randy McDowell) uses his beloved speed gun to clock a few wayward goats while they meander down the street.

And what can I say about LeAnn Rimes? She's a good singer, but when it comes to acting, she's no Dwight Yoakam. She plays Etta's sister Pam and every time she's on screen, every aspect of her performance seems forced and unnatural.

Other than Rimes performance and the plot, the film is surprisingly solid. I know the plot is crucial, but we're talking about a comedy folks. If we required a good plot that would eliminate 90 percent of the movies we love, don't you think?

The disc has a trailer and a few cast interviews and that's the extent of the extra features. A gag reel would have been nice, but we have to live with what we get I guess.

Final Cut: "Good Intentions" is an average movie with a few good performances and hilarious scenes. Perry charms as Chester and shows that he's more capable than most give him credit for.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Good Intentions

Starring: Luke Perry, Elaine Hendrix, LeAnn Rimes, Jon Gries

Writer: Anthony Stephenson

Director: Jim Issa

MPAA Rating: PG-13 sexual content, language and brief partial nudity

Runtime: 1hr. 25 min.

Available now from Phase 4 Films