While not exactly setting the marquee on fire with star names, this unabashed romancer from director Dan Ireland -- co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival, where "Passionada" premiered June 16 as the closing-night event -- goes down smoothly thanks to the trio of lead actors, whose enthusiasm and chemistry help make up for the routine filmmaking. Ireland, who cast Renee Zellweger in her breakout role ("The Whole Wide World"), hits pay dirt again with Sofia Milos ("The Sopranos"), giving the indie project a few legitimate enticements for moviegoers. "Passionada" is set in the fishing community of New Bedford, Mass., with Portuguese-American widow Celia Amonte (Milos) and her nice-and-naughty daughter Vicky (Emmy Rossum) both coming under the spell -- and vice versa for him -- of luckless gambler Charlie Beck (Jason Isaacs).

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