October 15, 2000 -- From the folks who brought you "A Night at the Roxbury," comes another thin Saturday Night Live comic skit that fails to make the grade as a movie. I went into this film with very low expectations and was still disappointed.

I've come to expect tasteless, vulgar, witless comedy from most of today's movies, but I was hoping to see something beyond the clueless desperation one has come to expect from "Saturday Night Live" productions. The "Ladies Man" is an attempt to resurrect the winning formula of "Austin Powers" without the writing talent of Mike Meyers and the directing talent of Jay Roach. Like "Austin Powers" it's main character is a love machine stuck in the 70s. Unlike "Austin Powers" there's not much else going on besides that.

Tim Meadows of the SNL show reprises his character Leon Phelps, The Ladies Man. He's a guy raised in something that looks like the Playboy mansion, which gives him a skewed outlook on love, sex and marriage. He happens upon a job in radio with the aid of his friend Julie (played by Karyn Parsons). He becomes a popular Howard Stern-like talk show host who says outrageous things, usually having something to do with the butt. Without going into details, he likes to talk about things like doggie positions and "the Hershey highway." Listeners find the material offensive and he loses his job. Imagine that.

Phelps then gets a letter from one of his many conquests who says she is rich and she wants him back. He can't remember which woman it was that he did the wild thing with in the laundromat, but he starts looking for her because he needs the money. Meanwhile, a bunch of disgruntled husbands are hunting Phelps because he had sex with all their wives. What happens when they catch him? Will he find true love? Who cares?

There's a lot less to this story than what it sounds like in this brief description. We're supposed to think that Phelps is really a sensitive guy, despite the fact that he ruins one marriage after another by having sex with married women. Hey, it isn't his fault if their husbands aren't satisfying these women. "You can't blame the wang," he says, like he has no choice in the matter. He's just a mindless sex machine, giving those women what they want. It's a very demeaning sentiment both to men and to women, but it would be a whole lot more palatable if the movie was funny.

Women falling for insulting pickup lines and men finding Phelps in bed with their wives are not funny situations per se, but these themes are repeated over and over. It's like a dull sitcom. It needs a lot better writing. With the exception of Julianne Moore ("Magnolia") and Billy Dee Williams ("Star Wars" two and three), there's not much acting talent in the film. Moore and Williams aren't given much to do. Williams plays the bartender at a bar where Phelps hangs out. Something could have been done with the characters who hang out at the bar, but they are never developed. The best comedies are character-driven. This one is not. The result is a very dull comedy. It rates a D-.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.