CAPSULE MOVIE REVIEWS

By Kevin Thomas, Times Staff Writer

Ziad Doueiri's "Lila Says" is a lyrically graceful story of first love, between 19-year-old Chimo (Mohammed Khouas) and 16-year-old Lila (Vahina Giocante), who has just moved into Chimo's picturesque predominately Arab neighborhood in Marseilles, France. Chimo, who lives with his loving, elegant mother (Carmen Lebbos), has such promise as a writer that his teacher wants to send him to a special school in Paris, but he already sees himself as a loser, hanging out with his layabout pals and drifting into crime. That Chimo is handsome is not lost upon the beautiful, blond Lila, who also rightly discerns in him a sensitivity and intelligence totally lacking in his aggressively boorish friends.

Lila has just discovered the power of her sexual attraction, and the diffident Chimo is the perfect target for her teasing and endless tales of outrageous sexual exhibitionism. Boldly confident, she captivates Chimo but is longer on talk than action. She is at the same time recklessly indifferent to her effect on Chimo's pals, especially his hot-headed best friend, Mouloud (Karim Ben Haddou), who is jealous of her zeroing in on Chimo.

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In what may well be genuine innocence, Lila is a surefire troublemaker, yet her ultimate influence on the real-life Chimo was to spur him on to writing the novel on which this captivating film is based. Raw, earthy yet tender and perceptive, "Lila Says" marks a strong directorial debut for Doueiri, who was Quentin Tarantino's camera operator on "Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown."

"Lila Says," unrated. Blunt sex talk, some violence, adult themes. 1 hour, 29 minutes. At selected theaters.

With 'Rebound,' it's best to pass

If I were 6, I could enjoy "Rebound" without thinking about all the better movies made from its concept. It wouldn't matter that the central character, an egomaniacal college basketball coach named Roy McCormick (Martin Lawrence) is so preposterously immature that he wouldn't get past his first timeout in the real world. Coach Roy's tantrums and attention deficit issues make the grown-ups who run college basketball mad enough to put him on probation — which, in this case, means he can't coach any games until he proves himself worthy. But if he can't coach, how can he prove himself? The answer to this Catch-22 arrives in a faxed cry for help from a middle school where Roy once starred as a player but whose team hasn't scored so much as a foul shot since the first Bush administration. Lawrence wants to make this his "Daddy Day Care," but he insists on hogging the ball, showing off in a small but annoying turn as Preacher Don, whose appearance has no plot function except to let the star play dress-up. If I were 6, it wouldn't matter. But I'm not, and it does.

--Gene Seymour

"Rebound," PG for mild language and thematic elements. 1 hour, 33 minutes. In general release.

Getting personal with the Wagners

For "The Talent Given Us" writer-director Andrew Wagner persuaded his parents, Judy and Allen Wagner, and his actress sisters, Maggie and Emily, to play themselves pretty much, and no doubt the film means much to him as a means of expressing affection and strengthening family bonds. It's difficult, though, to see how this picture — essentially chronicling a long car trip — could mean much to anyone but the Wagners and their friends and relatives.

"The Talent Given Us," unrated. Blunt language involving sex; adult themes. Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes. Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. (323) 848-3500.

Zombie tedium

Peter and Michael Spierig's "Undead" is an ambitious but murky and overlong zombie picture that borrows motifs from "Night of the Living Dead," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "ET" and other movies. However visually striking, this Australian film is ultimately as tedious as it is derivative.

"Undead," rated R for strong violence and gore, and for language (standard zombie horror blood and guts). 1 hour, 40 minutes. Nuart through Thursday, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. (310) 281-8223.