contrived

Sig's latest clown painting depicts her sister Polly (Carrie Preston), who takes one look and promptly flees back to the family homestead in Upstate New York for solace in her father's company, where she's soon followed, somewhat contrivedly, by Sig, with Titus in tow.

He is last seen, contrivedly in Ostend, "robbed of his beauty," a face on a missing persons photo.

The story should be in the form of a fairy tale or a philosophical tale, a metaphor for today's world, some new generalization.' "(3) I This prescription accounts for much of what Konwicki has been doing in his writing over the last decade or so, especially in the professedly modest guise of revealing his thoughts, beliefs, and way of life through anecdotes and contrivedly idle speculations emanating from his desmesne in Warsaw on New World Avenue, with his cat, Ivan, companion of his mischief and tantrums, reminiscences and dreams.

Moore and Krasinski have proven themselves decent comic talents, but they're given little to do here as the screenplay contrivedly turns Sadie into bridezilla and Ben into an insensitive bozo.

Carol Loeb Shloss' undertaking to produce a full-dress biography of this misty wraith called for courage and optimistic faith in the finding of a kindly light to lead her through the contrivedly twilit maze.