BEAR WITH ME

In the frankly touristy "Only You," a Pittsburgh schoolteacher named Faith flees her dull fiance and races off to Italy, traveling cute in a black raincoat over a bouffant wedding dress.

Supposedly the purpose of this trip is Faith's finding her true soul mate, a man whose name -- Damon Bradley -- she has been given by a Ouija board. Actually it's all about scenery, as the story moves from Venice to Rome to Positano, stopping for suitably fabulous vistas and fountains and flowers.

Ms. Tomei does have the advantage of statuesque good looks, which are greatly enhanced by Milena Canonero's slinky, glamorous costumes and do something to compensate for her brittle, bright-eyed delivery. "Only You" is about appearances. It's the kind of film in which strangers applaud when young lovers kiss and tourists say things like "He promised to take me on a tour of the fountains."

And the story itself, by Diane Drake, is actually rather sweet. In search of her phantom lover, Faith ignores the fact that she has met Mr. Right. He is Mr. Peter Wright (Robert Downey Jr.), to be precise. But when he figures out that only Damon Bradley can make Faith happy, he calls himself Damon Bradley instead.

Meanwhile, Faith's sister-in-law, Kate (Bonnie Hunt), decides to make a much-needed getaway from Faith's brother, Larry (Fisher Stevens), a Pittsburgh roofer. Once in Rome, she is courted by Giovanni (Joaquim de Almeida), a skilled hand-kisser who knows what unhappily married American tourists like. (They like rooftop restaurants with nice views of Rome and exclamations like: "La bella Italia! She's waiting!")

Meanwhile, mistaken identity and the Damon Bradley question keep Faith in a series of swoons and snits, while love-struck Peter Wright waits for her to come to her senses. A yacht figures prominently in these developments. So does Billy Zane, who has some funny moments as a handsome Mr. Wrong.

ONLY YOU

DIRECTED BY Norman Jewison; WRITTEN BY Diane Drake;

RELEASE BY Tri-Star Pictures. Running time: 108 minutes.

STARRING: Marisa Tomei (Faith), Robert Downey Jr. (Peter), Bonnie Hunt (Kate), Joaquim de Almeida (Giovanni), Fisher Stevens (Larry) and Billy Zane (the False Damon Bradley).