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Review

Take three separate story lines (plodding corporate intrigue, soapish family drama and constrained sex farce), mix without regard to logic or flow, present with stodgy pacing, stilted dialogue and awkward transitions, and you have She Hate Me. John Henry Armstrong is a young black executive working on an AIDS vaccine. He appears to have the world on a string — until his upper-echelon job with a biotech company goes down the tubes when he's scapegoated for the company's insider trading. It's hard to break the news to his loving parents, who have decidedly fallen out of love with each other. His now-lesbian ex-girlfriend makes him an offer: impregnate her for beaucoup bucks. And her new girlfriend wants a baby, too. At first, he's horrified. But, hey, that apartment of his doesn't come cheap, and they're offering $5,000 each. The word spreads, and soon Jack has more business than he can handle. Meanwhile, the investigation into his now-former company's corporate malfeasance continues and his parents' communication with each other worsens. The movie lumbers from one story to another, leaving the audience's interest far behind. The cast makes the most of a bad situation; especially Mackie as Jack, who never loses credibility in this morass. C'mon, Spike: focus!

 -- Ann Yarabinee