Henry Roth, a misanthropic, emotionally complex New York author of a hit children's book series, is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and creative collaborator passes away. All messed-up, Henry tells kids that Santa doesn't exist, he hates sleeping with--and next to--anyone, including his girlfriend, and must lay on the floor, usually with heavy objects on top of him just to feel safe. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love. - skip ad - Genres: Comedy Running Time: 1 hr. 51 min. Release Date: August 24th, 2007 (limited) MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content. Distributor: The Weinstein Company , First Look International Cast And Credits Starring: Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Bob Balaban, Tom Wilkinson, Dianne Wiest Directed by: Justin Theroux Produced by: Justin Theroux, Chip Seelig, Reagan Silber

That weird exhalation you hear at the multiplex these days is the sound of female characters settling for less than they deserve. Following on the wildly successful antifeminist heels of “Knocked Up,” Hollywood is falling over itself to introduce beautiful, smart young women to useless, possibly brain-damaged young men. Regular bathers need not apply.

The latest entry in this unappealing genre is “Dedication,” a movie that reveals its toxic intentions only gradually. Until it does, there is much to enjoy in the prickly odd-couple relationship of Henry (Billy Crudup) and Rudy (Tom Wilkinson), successful writing partners and longtime friends. Together they watch bad pornography and discuss Henry’s many mental problems. “We communicate nowadays through damage,” opines the significantly older Rudy before succumbing to a brain tumor. Robbed of his illustrator and enabler, and contractually obligated to deliver another book, Henry must find a new partner.

Enter Lucy (Mandy Moore), a raven-haired artist fresh from heartbreak and eager to punish herself further. Henry may be no one’s idea of a catch — he fears cars and uses books for blankets — but Lucy, whose own mother is all but certifiable, has a high tolerance for indie-movie quirkiness. And as the ending becomes more manifest than Henry’s neuroses, what began as an oddball study of a jagged male friendship devolves into cliché and compromise.

The directing debut of the actor Justin Theroux, “Dedication” is almost saved by David Bromberg’s tart dialogue and exceptional acting from its three leads. Ms. Moore is soft and appealing in a thankless role, diluting the barbed camaraderie of the film’s early scenes and humanizing a screenplay defined by dysfunction. And if Mr. Theroux had only kept his nerve and ended with his penultimate scene, a bittersweet reconnection to the central male friendship, “Dedication” would have been a different, better movie.

Even so, the marvelous Mr. Crudup is seldom less than mesmerizing. In one remarkable, breathless monologue, he almost makes you believe a girl could do worse than give her heart to a misanthropic obsessive-compulsive. Not on my watch.

“Dedication” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has a little pornography, a little snuggling and a lot of mental disorder.