Changing Habits (1997)

Sush (Moira Kelly) works in a theatrical costume shop by day and is an aspiring painter by night. She gets her talent naturally, being the daughter of a somewhat famous artist named Theo (Christopher Lloyd). As a skinflint personified, Sush sets her mind on finding a small apartment in a large convent run by a worldly nun (Eileen Brennan). Telling the sister that she was abandoned by her boyfriend and suffered a painful miscarriage, too, Sush gets her apartment all right. Considering that the rent is $25 a week, Sush would be hard pressed to find anything as cheap in the city of Los Angeles. Of course, she must do some chores for the convent and look over an elderly resident during the night hours. One night, she finds a basement area that is never visited by the convent's inhabitants. She decides to paint a large mural on one of the walls. Paint costs money, however, and Sush is a world class shoplifter. Nevertheless, the art supply store manager, Felix (Dylan Walsh) catches her in the act. Since he is young and handsome and Sush is a pretty lady, he declares that he will let her have the tubes of paint if she has dinner with him. She agrees, reluctantly. In truth, Sush has a lot of issues, from a painful estrangement with her father to a general mistrust of the male population. Will Sush be willing to engage in a romance and a possible reconciliation with her dad? This is an interesting little movie, far off the beaten path. The principal actors, including Kelly, Walsh, Lloyd, Brennan, Teri Garr, and Shelley Duvall are a total delight and add greatly to the film's enjoyment. The Los Angeles setting is diverse and beautiful, from the lovely old convent to the seedy costume shop to the waterfront, where Felix lives in a tugboat. Then, too, the costumes have been nicely selected and the look of the production is fine. The script has imagination and zest but also sports a bit of raw language. In summary, you could change your movie viewing habits considerably if you track down this movie for an evening's pleasure. Far from being formulaic, this film has enough surprises, ingenuity, and romance to turn the tables on more mundane entertainment choices.