Jonathan Lynn has made a career out of extending the standard sitcom into a feature length film. Remember the Joe Pesci vehicle My Cousin Vinny? I must admit, I did enjoy that film.

Enter The Whole Nine Yards, a film in which Bruce Willis plays a mob hitman trying to lead a new life. He finds a friend in his new nextdoor neighbor played by Matthew Perry. Along for the ride is Willis' associate played by the likable Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile).

The plot of this picture flows like an average sitcom bringing to mind last year's overrated Analyze This. Perry spends most of the time prat falling and tripping over his own tongue. The film also features an absolutely dismal performance by Rosanna Arquette as Perry's annoying wife. Willis is maturing as an actor with each performance. He seems to have a texture here that is lacking in some of his earliest work.

Like Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, Lynn does have an ace up his sleeve. That ace is newcomer Amanda Peet. She sparkles in the role of a dental assistant with huge aspirations. Her sense of comic timing and extremely likable screen presence make her an actress to watch for. Kevin Pollack is also humorous in a small role as a crime lord.

Unfortunately, The Whole Nine Yards seems to lose it's punch when Peet is not on the screen. That's due to such a familiar and obvious story. With such star power, I'd hoped for a lot more.