Under the Lighthouse Dancing

When six friends take a vacation on a remote Australian island, one couple reveal their intention to marry the very next day. Amid all the fun in the sun, the bride-to-be quietly announces she's dying, and now everyone understands why the couple wanted this sudden ceremony. So they all pitch in to make the day unforgettable. Although the film is based on a true event, it's oddly uninspiring. The premise provokes, but most of the characters are interchangeable, and Graeme Rattigan's direction lacks passion. What could have been a real tearjerker instead plays like a video Hallmark card: slim bodies, scenic beaches, comforting sunsets, and mellow music, with the specter of disease and death about as stressful as a sunburn. Screens at the Copley Place Sunday the 14th at 5:45, 7:40, and 9:45 p.m. and Monday the 15th at 11:50 a.m. and 1:40 and 3:35 p.m.

-- Stephen Kyle

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