The Luzhin Defence ****

Turturro plays the title character, a man who has spent most of his life playing chess and little else. Until, that is, he meets Watson while competing in a world championship tournament. Watson's mother is vehemently opposed to her daughter hooking up with a man she considers a freak ('I thought I was meeting a handsome, well-mannered man...and you bring me this'). Through flashbacks we learn of Luzhin's childhood, how his father misunderstood his talent and turned him over to chessmaster Stuart Wilson. When Wilson turns up at the tournament, Luzhin's memories come flooding back, threatening to destroy the concentration he so relies on.

The film is based on a book by Vladimir Nabakov, author of "Lolita", and parallels can be drawn. Both tales feature a couple whose relationship is doomed by their incompatibility with each other and with society.

If your taste in screen romance is closer to "Buffalo 66" than "You've Got Mail", then this is for you. Watson and Turturro are excellent as that rarity, a screen couple you genuinely want things to work out for.