THE GREAT CALIFORNIA GAME

Still struggling to reclaim the magnificent form of Jade Woman (1989), in which incorrigibly corrupt antiques-dealer Lovejoy nosed about Hong Kong, Gash now turns to America for inspiration—with only so-so results. Eking out a livelihood in a Manhattan bar, Lovejoy is pressed into waiter service at the wealthy, more-than- slightly-crooked Aquilinas digs, where his ``divvy'' (i.e., divining) talents gain him entry into The Great California Game—an invitation-only, giant hustle that's guaranteed to make the winners multimillionaires. Quicker than he can tell paste from diamond, Lovejoy and his two new street-savvy chums—Magda the doorway whore and Zole the hot-goods kid—are on a cross-country romp (Chicago, New Orleans, L.A.) to set up the sting, while all around them love stories swirl and evolve (the maid/the bodyguard/etc.), two sisters crop up, and, naturally, the big score just seems to elude Lovejoy. A skimpy plot undercuts a wry love-letter to the States. As witty and knowledgeable as Gash can be, he hasn't much of a story to tell here.