Despite two very ap pealing leads in Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler, Jay DiPietro’s bittersweet romantic comedy “Peter and Vandy” is yet another graduate of Sundance’s Class of ’09 that doesn’t live up to its initial promise.
Wearing a ’90s Ethan Hawke goatee, the socially maladroit Peter begins a rocky relationship with the insecure Vandy when he picks her up while she’s on a lunch break during jury duty in lower Manhattan.
While there are some good individual scenes — like an argument over the proper way to make a PBJ sandwich — the story doesn’t build on their chemistry. In fact, it’s undercut by jumping around in non-chronological order, something that worked far better in “(500) Days of Summer.”
DiPietro actually carried the gimmick over from his 2002 play he adapted for “Peter and Vandy.” But you know a low-budget indie has problems when it’s less emotionally honest than a studio-backed project like “(500) Days.”
Running time: 80 minutes. Not rated (profanity, sexuality). At the Village East, Second Avenue and 12th Street.