Dedication (2008)

A romantic comedy in an art-house disguise, Dedication trots out the tired troubled-boy-meets-spunky-girl formula. Crudup stars as Henry, an anxiety-plagued children's-book author whose recently deceased illustrating partner harasses him in his dreams; his self-healing methods include pinning himself underneath a stack of books. There's light at the end of the tunnel, natch: fresh-faced Lucy (Moore), who eventually charms the wits out of him. Too bad the art they create — ''Marty the Beaver'' — is far more enchanting than its meta counterpart. EXTRAS None. C-