This first directorial effort from screenwriter David Koepp (Mission: Impossible, Jurassic Park) is a laughable fable about how rudeness really hurts. MacLachlan and Shue play an on-the-edge couple whose sense of ennui gets worse when a mysterious electrical blackout envelops their city. Further sparking their disconnection is a romantic rival (Dermot Mulroney), suburban white-flight hysteria, and a mistrust of others that results in tragedy and a circle-the-wagons mentality. With an overly pedantic tone and humdrum acting, The Trigger Effect may be an earnest Twilight Zone-style allegory, but on video it's simply white noise.