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By David Ansen

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In "Hanging Up," director Diane Keaton aims for the laugh-through-your-tears mode of "Terms of Endearment." Three working sisters (Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow), who communicate largely via telephone, are forced to deal with the imminent death of their father (Walter Matthau). Dad, a former Hollywood screenwriter (as was the father of Delia and Nora Ephron, who based their script on Delia's novel), is a monster who, though losing his marbles, can still fire off a mean one-liner. In flashback, we see the damage this alcoholic, selfish man has inflicted on his daughters. Ryan, the perpetually flustered middle daughter, is forced to deal with his hospitalization--she's the sister with "heart," as we're repeatedly told. Keaton, the family superstar, is a self-involved careerist too busy running a magazine she's named after herself to deal with the mess. Kudrow, the youngest, is a ditsy soap-opera actress who can't get anyone to take her seriously.

There are some raw, uncomfortable emotions bubbling deep under the surface of "Hanging Up," but Keaton is loath to deal with them. Like people who compulsively giggle whenever they tell you bad news, the movie runs for cover in lame, comic shtik. Why are we watching cute-dog jokes? Why are the actors trying to out-cute the dog? And why does this L.A.-based movie look as if it had been shot through a thick London fog? More to the point, why tell this story if you're afraid to tell it like it is? This is sugar-coating that melts in your hand, not your heart.

D.A.

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