The love-hate romance at its center involves not only the tug of war between writer Arturo Bandini and waitress Camilla Lopez but the tension between WASP America and the rest of us, self-realization and shame, the skyward-reaching city and the wild natural continent. Screenwriter Robert Towne, a great chronicler of Los Angeles in "Chinatown" and "Shampoo," would seem the perfect big-screen translator of the influential book, here taking the helm as well as scripting. Despite what are likely to be mixed reviews, the project's literary/cinematic pedigree and topliners Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek will be certain lures when the film opens March 10 in limited release, after its world premiere at the Santa Barbara fest.

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