A pastel, fatally cute comic fantasy, Life In The Fast Lane stars Fairuza Balk as a quirky painter. After she dumps her saintly boyfriend (Noah Taylor), he then mails himself to her in a box in a misguided attempt to win back her affection. His gesture backfires, however, when Balk accidentally stabs him in the head, but not before making love to a demonic, mute stranger (Patrick Dempsey) on top of the ill-fated box. But Taylor isn't going without a fight, and he returns in ghost form to prove that love, or at least cutesy relationship banter, is sometimes stronger than death. What follows is a precious comedy populated by a supporting cast that seems to have been assembled using some quirk-o-matic supporting-character wheel. In addition to Balk's decoupage-obsessed mother, there's also a poetry-spouting thief (indie fixture James LeGros), a serial-killer-seducing transvestite dentist (K. Todd Freeman), and at least half a dozen other characters defined by their allegedly amusing quirks. Executive-produced by Téa Leoni, who turns in a thankless cameo as a pet-shop owner, Life ambles by aimlessly if pleasantly, powered by little more than its own cheerful brand of whimsy. Its undertone of genuine sweetness makes it bearable, even when it resembles an insufferable sitcom pilot, and writer-director Eleanor Gaver manages the odd funny line. But while a few of its running gags are amusing, Life In The Fast Lane just isn't as funny or charming as it should be, its minor charms never elevating it to the cult classic it so desperately aspires to be.