What makes the film fun is the deadpan, tongue-in-cheek humor that undermines the seemingly sincere dramatic scenes.

...features a simple story, careful performances, a delicate air of comedy and drama, and a number of other elements rarely seen in US indie cinema until the rise of mumblecore...

In this lyrically offbeat fable, Hartley, the most Godardian of American indies, takes the audience to familiar-looking yet utterly strange places, like working class Long Island, where his bizarrely charming romance takes place; still his best film.

Hilarious black comedy.