SPARKLER

Adding one more title to the vastly overtraveled road-trip-to-Vegas genre, cowriter-director Darren Stein (Jawbreaker) has at least adorned his affectionate journey with a sympathetic subplot and a few fresh characters, like a lesbian strip-club proprietor and an aging showgirl (Cartwright, primed for a comeback). But the uneven story, about three L.A.-based buddies (Freddie Prinze Jr., Jamie Kennedy, and Steven Petrarca) who cross paths with a gold-hearted trailer park denizen (an ebullient Overall), is ultimately lost in distracting digressions and stereotypes. REEL GOODIES (0:44) Cartwright reveals more of herself than Alien fans could have ever imagined. THE LAST DETAIL Stein once worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios. C

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