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Review: This 'Bubble' smellsA hollow, empty film about hollow, empty livesBy Paul Clinton  In "Bubble," Misty Dawn Wilkins plays a young mother who disrupts the harmony at a small-town factory. FACT BOX'Bubble' Starring: Debbie Doebereiner, Dustin James Ashley, Misty Dawn Wilkins, Decker Moody Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Written by: Coleman Hough Studio: Magnolia Pictures YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- At this point in his career Steven Soderbergh could get financial backing to make a movie about the phone book. With "Bubble," he might as well have. Shot in high-definition video, this simplistic film -- made on a micro-budget -- centers on the relationships between three people working dead-end jobs in a doll factory in a bleak town in Ohio. In essence, by existing in this hollow empty life they're living in a bubble. Martha (Debbie Doebereiner), and Kyle (Dustin James Ashley) are longtime employees, and despite a large age difference, have become dependent upon each other just to get through one long dull day after another. The arrival of a stranger at the factory threatens to upset this frail dynamic. Rose (Misty Dawn Wilkins) is a young attractive mother, and Martha is dubious about her from the beginning. As Kyle and Rose begin to develop their own special friendship, Martha's suspicions kick into high gear. When Rose is mysteriously found dead in her own apartment, an investigation begins that -- one by one -- calls into question all the assumptions about everyone in this small town. Asking those questions is the fourth character in this odd little film, Detective Don (Decker Moody). Eventually, the film culminates in a surprise ending. But the end doesn't add much to this rather dreary film about a group of extremely dreary people. "Bubble" is written by Coleman Hough, who also wrote Soderbergh's film "Full Frontal," another film that came across as a student movie made for the festival route. I'll admit to a certain curious fascination about "Bubble": At times it's so mind-numbingly dull, it becomes funny. But it's not a feature film. I'm not really sure what it is. There are two oddities about "Bubble" worth mentioning. None of the people seen on the screen are professional actors -- and it shows. Doebereiner, who plays Martha, lives in Waterford, Ohio, and was a manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where she worked for 24 years. (According to an Associated Press story, she recently retired.) Ashley is a Parkersburg resident who is studying to become a computer technician, and Wilkins from Belpre, Ohio. She's a stylist at the Regis Salon in Vienna, West Virginia. And casting to type, Detective Don is played by Decker Moody, an actual police detective for the Parkersburg Police Department. In all fairness none of these amateurs are all that bad -- they're just far from professional. The other interesting footnote for "Bubble" is that Soderberg is releasing -- for the first time -- a film in the theater and on pay-per-view the same day. The DVD will follow Tuesday so that viewers can choose the way they want to see the film. Artists should push the envelope, and I applaud Soderbergh's spirit of exploration, but "Bubble" is a misfire. It won't be the first film the director makes in this fashion. Soderbergh has a deal with HDNet films to make five more of these films in the same format, and with the same release plan. Many in Hollywood are not pleased with this marketing strategy. With "Bubble" it won't make a bit of difference, but there would be a riot if the movie were something along the lines of "King Kong." As far as "Bubble" goes my choice -- and yours -- should be: Don't see it at all. 
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