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Forest Whitaker stars in the movie "Ripple Effect." - www.hollywood.com

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During the opening credits of "Ripple Effect," a character played by Forest Whitaker gets hit by a car. This incident isn't referred to again for the first 30 minutes of the film, as director-writer-producer-star Philippe Caland wanted to raise a tantalizing question in the viewer's mind: "Who hit him with the car?"

But he ends up raising a different tantalizing question: "What the hell is Forest Whitaker doing in this movie?" Why the 2007 Best Actor Oscar winner is stuck in this painfully pretentious indie drama is the question that never gets answered.

Before the movie finally gets back to Whitaker, the audience has to endure a lot of screen time by Caland as Amer Atrash, an arrogant Los Angeles fashion designer who is misunderstood and sabotaged by those around him, from his corrupt business partners to his needy family. His brilliance is somewhat undercut by the fact that his clothes all look like they could have been bought off the rack at Old Navy. An Army surplus jacket? Amer, you're a genius!

I understand Amer is supposed to be going through some sort of spiritual crisis here, but Caland plays him as so self-centered and precious that it's impossible to feel any sympathy for him. Caland also develops zero chemistry with his other, better known stars, including the always luminous Virginia Madsen in an affecting performance as Amer's wife.

Eventually and somewhat arbitrarily, Amer decides that the thing to cure his ails is to find Philip (Whitaker), a man he hit with his car 15 years ago, and make amends. Amer tracks Philip and his trashy folksinger wife (a badly miscast Minnie Driver) out in the boonies, only to find that despite being confined to a wheelchair because of the accident, Philip is completely happy with his life. Bizarrely, he doesn't seem to bear Amer any ill will.

It's here that "Ripple Effect" finally reveals its true nature, a so-called spiritual drama in which a troubled soul gets guidance from a sage metaphysical guide about the mysterious ways of the universe. It's pretty hokey, as Whitaker is relegated to what Spike Lee used to call the "magical Negro" role, the African American who seems to exist only to give the white protagonist some much-needed advice. "Ripple Effect" breaks the stereotype only in that Amer is Lebanese American.

But here's the real tragedy of "Ripple Effect" -- Whitaker is actually really good as Philip, thoughtful and inspiring and complicated. There's about 15 minutes of dialogue between Philip and Amer that's worth watching, but you have to wade through a lot of nonsense to get there.

RIPPLE EFFECT

1 ? stars

Stars: Philippe Caland, Forest Whitaker, Virginia Madsen

Rated: R for language, violence

How long: 1:27

Where: Westgate

For fans of: "Crash," "What the Bleep Do We Know?" "Project Runway, Season 3" fans who thought that Jeffrey should star in his own movie