Sooner or later, everyone must join the 20th Century. For British novelist Giles De'Ath (John Hurt), a genuine old fogey, the jarring shift to the present comes when he grants his first radio interview.

For a man who refuses to use a word processor, claiming, "I'm a writer; I don't process words," the transition threatens to be rather painful. Pure chance -- that indispensable element of fiction -- completely changes De'Ath's old-fashioned ways.

Locked out of his house one rainy afternoon, De'Ath ventures to the nearest cinema to see a screen adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel. Wandering into the wrong theater by mistake, he finds himself watching Hot Pants College II, a mindless adolescent sex romp. About to leave, De'Ath changes his mind when he sees the face of a young actor who stands apart from the crowd.

Returning to the cinema again, he discovers the actor's name, Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley). Something about the actor's performance, namely a humiliating pizza parlor scene in which his brother covers him in ketchup, reminds De'Ath of Henry Wallis' "The Death of Chatterton" painting hanging in London's Tate Gallery.

Caught completely off-guard, De'Ath becomes transfixed by Bostock. Eager to see Ronnie's other films (two inane low-budget movies titled Skid Marks and Tex Mex), De'Ath buys a VCR. People De'Ath's age generally have trouble operating a VCR, but he is so removed from the world of technology that he doesn't realize he must also buy a television.

The delays are intolerable in De'Ath's frenzied quest. He is absorbed in all things Bostock, combing heartthrob teen mags for pictures of the "snoggable" star. His obsession begins to take over his life, infiltrating his lectures and filling all of his leisure time (mainly spent compiling a scrapbook of "Bostockiana"), but his fascination still seems to lack the sexual charge that might alienate him from the audience's sympathy.

For De'Ath, Ronnie Bostock represents a late-found love affair with the movies. De'Ath spent most of his life sequestered from the world, and his Hot Pants College II movie-going experience threatened to spoil his opinion of movies. Instead, the atrocious movie introduced him to Bostock, who provided everything that years of watching films eventually creates for the rest of us. The force of attraction that ties us to actors or actresses often defies explanation, and De'Ath's unlikely choice gives the film its charm.

When De'Ath's colleague suggests that he take a holiday, the habitually reluctant De'Ath immediately accepts. Without a plan of action, he flies to Chesterton, Ronnie's hometown on Long Island, with the dream of meeting the star. Through Ronnie's girlfriend Audrey (Fiona Loewi), the charming British writer weasels his way into Ronnie's house.

Originally a rather innocent fixation, De'Ath's devotion to the young actor takes a different turn when he finally meets Ronnie. Inventing stories to explain himself, De'Ath flatters Ronnie and entices him with grandiose ideas about a custom-tailored screenplay that he seems to have no intention of writing. Together, De'Ath and Ronnie develop an unusual bond, but it is only a matter of time before the relationship's false pretenses destroy it.

John Hurt gives De'Ath a sensitivity essential to the role. A widower who finds his second love in the most unusual of places, Hurt shows how a man who has built a hardened exterior for himself must deal with his newfound bruisability. Priestley's previous experience on Beverly Hills 90210 works as a nice parallel to Ronnie's B-movies. Playing a bad actor with worthy aspirations, he fits right in as Ronnie. While Hurt steals the show, the rest of the cast melts into the background.

Beneath the questions about love, life and infatuation, Love and Death on Long Island is about the movies. British film critic Gilbert Adair wrote the novel on which the film is based, pouring his love for movies into the story. First-time director Richard Kwietniowski, who wrote the screenplay, treats the subject tenderly. Another director may have exploited De'Ath's fragile fantasies, but Kwietniowski gives the drama center stage, allowing the humor to flow naturally.

The film shows us that we can find magic in any movie no matter what the critics say. Simple and heartfelt, Love and Death on Long Island is an intensely personal movie likely to find its place in the hearts of all its viewers.