No spoilers because we could not make it through this film when trying again the next day.

Abandon is a thriller starring Katie Holmes as a college student whose boyfriend,portrayed by Charlie Hunnam,disappeared two years previously. It is based on the book Adams Fall by Sean Desmond. The film co-stars Zooey Deschanel,Gabrielle Union and with Benjamin Bratt playing the detective investigating the boyfriend's disappearance.It is the directorial debut for screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, who won an Oscar for his script for Traffic.Embry Langan is a wealthy but reckless student at an exclusive private college until he mysteriously vanished, with airline tickets to Europe left unused and plenty of money still in the bank. Two years later, Katie Burke, Embry's girlfriend, is still dealing with his disappearance as she goes into the home stretch of her college career. With exams, a thesis, and job interviews to think about, Katie is already walking an emotional tightrope when Wade Handler, a police detective, enters the picture. Handler, a recovering alcoholic, has been ordered to reopen the Langan case, and as he questions Katie about the missing man, she finds her obsession with her former beau taking over her life, which leaves her all the more unnerved when she begins seeing Embry around the campus. Meanwhile, Handler's investigation begins to suggest Langan's disappearance may have been more sinister than imagined, and could be connected with other cases of missing students.The film is light on the chills and heavy on the atmospheric weirdness, and there are moments of jaw-dropping odd behavior.It is all about mood and atmosphere--shadowy gloom is dominant throughout--and viewers may grow impatient as the tissue-thin plot leads to an anticlimactic revelation. Still, Gaghan's sharp dialogue draws fine work from Holmes, and his supporting cast adds much-needed energy on the fringes of this lugubrious psychological thriller despite the fact that its plot line is too disjointed and muddled to offer much in the way of thrills.

Upwardly mobile Katie Holmes (as Katie Burke) tries to concentrate on her college thesis while thinking about a career after graduation. Understandably a little stressed, Ms. Holmes has occasional flashbacks about beautiful blond ex-boyfriend Charlie Hunnam (as Embry Larkin). A rich bohemian artist-type, the charismatic Mr. Hunnam disappeared two years ago. Holmes has had no steady lover since then, although tree-hugging Gabriel Mann (as Harrison "Harry" Hobart) shows interest. Meanwhile, recovering alcoholic detective Benjamin Bratt (as Wade Handler) is assigned to investigate Hunnam's mysterious disappearance as Holmes is frightened by a stalker who looks just like him...Multi award-winning writer turning director Stephen Gaghan gets good, steady cinematography from Matthew Libatique. However, the positioning of actors and set direction is sometimes obvious and distracting. Holmes has the messiest imaginable room but likes to straighten Bratt's pictures. Matches her psyche. Getting Holmes crotch-level with therapist Tony Goldwyn (as David Schaffer) matches the script. So, there is cohesion. However, you care more about what happened to poor "Harrison" than the lead characters, who come together for the predictable surprise ending. There is life-sustaining support from friendly Zooey Deschanel, mousy Melanie Lynskey and clean-cut Mark Feuerstein.***** Abandon (3/1/02) Stephen Gaghan ~ Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Gabriel Mann

This movie isn't as bad as the worst reviews have it, and not as good as the best reviews. It muddles through on mediocrity, and a plot twist.Here's the good news; it's not a completely out there plot twist. If you watch it knowing it's coming, you start to understand some parts of the movie better. It's not a cut and paste ending that leaves you scratching your head.Bad news; it's still not very good.The movie captures two things pretty well. One, the drive and ambition it takes to try to get out of college in the top ten, and two, the college life. Oh, and three, but that's a spoiler.I watched Sixth Sense again, once I knew the ending. And you know what? It had a whole other story to tell, different from the narrative you thought you had been seeing the first time. Every scene, every line, was laden with subtext.There's some of that in this movie, but not as much, frankly. It doesn't work as well. The first time, it's tolerable. And if you're wondering now 'will I care about the characters,' you won't. And you shouldn't.Everything about this movie feels a little 'film-school,' if you know what I mean. Ultimately, watchable, but not great.