THREE OF HEARTS, with William Baldwin, Kelly Lynch, Sherilyn Fenn and Joe Pantoliano. Directed by Yurek Bogayevicz. At Majestic, UA Queensway and Sha Tin. Category II.
A LITTLE more restraint on the parts of the director and scriptwriter might have made this a small, but unqualified, delight of a romantic comedy.
But it is hard to give oneself over completely to a film which so blatantly carries its cuteness like a placard screaming: ''Love me, I'm hip yet vulnerable. I'm so Noo Yawk!'' Three of Hearts is, I'm almost sure, meant to be a brave, challenging, even controversial film, presenting as it does a lesbian relationship, neither for titillation nor as an ''issue'' or a ''problem'', but simply as a factor.
This is presumed to be such a stiffening ingredient that we are expected to overlook the mushier stuff in its wake, even welcome it - how tough and uncompromising can a romantic comedy get, after all, before people start getting hurt? The plus factors are the acting of Kelly Lynch (Drugstore Cowboy ), William Baldwin (soon to be seen as Sharon Stone's stud-puppy landlord in Sliver ) and Joe Pantoliano (Midnight Run ).
Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks ) leans a bit close to the Melanie Griffith school of acting-like-grown-ups-do for my liking, but doesn't quite let the side down.
Director Yurek Bogayevicz would seem to have a sure way with actors, guiding Sally Kirkland to a 1987 Oscar nomination for the equally patchy and self-regarding Anna. That was also his last film before this, as he prefers to work in theatre. It shows, asThree of Hearts is a theatrical little piece - as the title rather glibly suggests, a three-handed variation on the eternal triangle theme.