Verdict: So sugary it may cause tooth decay, but its charms are naively appealing for the sweet 16 set.

The story of a blushingly innocent small-town girl who wins a date with a hunky celebrity heartthrob, " Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! " is as light, sticky and insubstantial as cotton candy - but at times as guiltily enjoyable.

It's hard to believe that Victor Levin, a veteran of such snidely cynical fare as " The Larry Sanders Show ," wrote this. With a few minor exceptions, this "Bye Bye Birdie"-like script could have been filmed during the era of poodle skirts and hula hoops. When was the last time you saw a movie in which a young man tells a girl that she must protect her virtue - and then calls it a "carnal treasure?" For that matter, when was the last time, in this Britney-Spears-did-what? era, you saw a movie with a girl with virtue to protect?

The girl in question is Kate Bosworth (" Blue Crush "), who is every bit as pert and perky as a teenage Doris Day. She plays Rosalee Futch (no kidding), a checker at a Piggly Wiggly in rural West Virginia. Her best friends are slightly slutty, appropriately named fellow checker Cathy Feely (Ginnifer Goodwin of " Mona Lisa Smile ") and the store's assistant manager, cute but coy Pete Monash (Topher Grace of "That '70s Show").

The girls enter an online contest to win a date with their favorite movie star, Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel of " One Life to Live "). When Rosalee wins, it becomes clear that Pete's feelings for her are not platonic.

Meanwhile, Tad is not the heroic knight in shining armor the girls think he is. In fact, his agent has cooked up the whole contest to mitigate the bad-boy publicity Tad has recently received for drinking and womanizing.

Adding some much-needed vinegar to this confection are Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes, who play Tad's agent and manager - both named Richard Levy. The Levys provide levity, Hollywood insider-style, but their moments are few, and Nathan Lane gets the best ones. When Tad is smitten by the innocence of Rosalee, Lane discourages him by pointing out, "Your values are different - for instance, she has them."

At times this film is so guileless it borders on self-satire, especially the scenes with Gary Cole as Rosalee's father, Henry Futch. Cole seems to be reprising his role as Mike Brady in "The Brady Bunch," with all the over-the-top corniness usually reserved for a " Saturday Night Live " parody.

" Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! " has an appealing cast who do a fine job with what it's got. But overall, the film is unconvincing. You are never certain of Tad's true motives, but you find it hard to root for the wimpy grocery store manager who has loved her all his life without ever telling her.

In the end, the film is as satisfying as the gee-whiz '50s films it evokes - a fluffy, forgettable bit of froth that has little to do with reality as we know it.

By MELINDA ENNIS  Cox News Service
Boston Globe

Published: 01/23/2004