REVIEWED - THE NIGHT LISTENERARMISTEAD Maupin, author of the source novel for this vaguely imagined entertainment, has referred to the story as a "thriller of the heart". This, you will agree, is another way of saying it isn't a thriller at all. But what is it?

Maupin, who has been searching for a professional purpose since bringing his delightful Tales of the City to a conclusion, has taken an unusual incident from his own life and worked hard at expanding it into a substantial drama. But, the core of the story - a possible literary hoax that eerily presages the recent case of JT Leroy - remains the only thing worth paying attention to. What little else there is feels like padding.

Robin Williams, in, thankfully, tortured introspective form rather than the hideous pseudo-comic alternative, stars as a gay writer and radio performer coping badly with a disintegrating relationship. The story begins with him receiving a phone call from a young fan in a distant rural locale. The boy, who is suffering from Aids, has written a searing account of sexual abuse at the hands of his parents and the hero elects to help get the book published. Then doubts set in. The woman who is taking care of of the boy has an eerily similar voice to her charge. Are they one and the same person?

There are the makings of an effective short film here. Toni Collette is reliably solid as the young writer's mysterious helper and Rory Culkin, seen in flashbacks and fantasy sequences, brings desperate fragility to a boy who may not exist. But once Williams figures out the scam the film is effectively over. Sadly this happens a good 45 minutes before the titles roll.