s part of Showtime's Oscar-winning film series "Directed By," On The Edge puts Mirren, Masterson and Heche at the helm for a science-fiction trilogy of tales. As the film opens, an arrogant movie mogul (Scott Lowell) thinks he knows what the public wants. That is, until a strange temp (Kathleen Wilhoite) forces him to watch three TV "lessons" to show him the error of his ways.
In "Happy Birthday," Hannah (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) is at the top of her class until she's tossed out of school by the dean (Goodman) just before graduation. In a future with too many people, too many bugs and a central computer that controls everything, she's told she's too smart and should get a cranial "adjustment" so she'll be happy. Hannah decides there's only one thing to do: find the secret central computer and make her own "adjustment."
In "The Other Side," Maas (LaPaglia) is a brilliant pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, but unfortunately he's dying. He secretly creates a biobot clone in an attempt at immortality. When a woman from his past, Anna (Karen Sillas), is brought onto his project to help solve a logic problem, Maas' clone decides the real Maas is in the way, especially concerning the lovely Anna.
In "Reaching Normal," housewife Lisa Waverly's (MacDowell) life may be dull and static, but it's the voices she hears and the things she sees that are driving her mad. When she meets a strange man (Paul Rudd), she's suddenly telepathically connected to him. And now that she's met someone who can read her mind, how can she ever go back to her normal life?
Uneven mix not quite edgy enough
Like many anthology films, On The Edge is an uneven mix of tales that have little in common with each other and, except for the first story, cover science-fiction territory that is far too familiar. While it's nice to see actresses Mirren, Masterson and Heche given a chance to strut their stuff, there's not a lot to set this anthology apart from any other besides an impressive assortment of guest stars.
By far the best of the bunch in story and presentation is "Happy Birthday," which is based on the Keith Laumer short story "Placement Test." This funny and bizarre tale has an almost comic-book-like flavor, and it's easy to see the promise Mirren has as a director as she juggles an array of guest stars with the often surprising story.
The other two shorts are mediocre stories that have been told before, and better. "The Other Side," based on Bruce Holland Rogers' short story "Lifeboat on a Burning Sea," is the type of scientific morality tale that has been done much more effectively on The Outer Limits. "Reaching Normal," from the Walter M. Miller Jr. short story, "Command Performance," has more potential to develop an interesting story, and MacDowell, Rudd and Alan Rosenberg give nice performances. However, the script never comes together well enough to be effective. These last two shorts feel underdeveloped and thin. The wraparound story about the movie mogul, directed by Memel, is a waste of time and has nothing to do with the shorts that are presented.
The biggest problem with On The Edge is that, with the exception of "Happy Birthday," it's just not very edgy. What it ultimately comes down to is that it's not about the acting or the directing or the production values. It's about the story that's being told. And with the one exception, we've seen it all before.
