Signs Of Life

SIGNS OF LIFE, which was coproduced by PBS' American Playhouse, suffers from the usual PBS-sponsored symptoms: despite excellent acting and vivid visuals, it's ultimately too bland and contrived to be very rewarding. Set in a dying seaside town in Maine, the action revolves around the last day of business at the boatyard owned by crotchety old shipbuilder Owen Couglin (Arthur Kennedy). Having built their last boat, Owen and his employees (Beau Bridges, Kevin J. O'Connor, Vincent Philip D'Onofrio, and Michael Lewis) must look for new work and start new lives--a difficult, humbling task that entails the unpacking of considerable emotional baggage, though the film end...