A company course on ruthless capitalism camouflaged as a slacker funny: Thats the kindest way to describe Michael Lehmanns Flakes, a motion picture that shares the smug, hipper-than-thou sensibility of its sour lead character, Neal Downs (Aaron Stanford).

An ambitious rock artist who handles a New Orleans restaurant where the only costs of fare is breakfast cereal, Neal is a reflexively ironical deadbeat whose equally sour sweetheart, Pussy Katz (Zooey Deschanel), shares his bohemian dream of taking a trip the nation in an Airstream trailer, making music and art.

The walls of the restaurant, called Flakes, are lined with cereal boxes, consisting of uncommon ceased brand names. As clients slop up exotic combinations, the motion picture recommends a deadpan spoof of gourmet fetishism. One house specialty chocolate-flavored grains steeped in chocolate milk sounds especially nauseating.

Owned by Willie (Christopher Lloyd), a shabby hippie geezer with mad-scientist hair, Flakes limps along as a hangout for deadbeats up until a bright-eyed nouveau riche visitor, Stuart (Keir ODonnell), proposes turning it into a lucrative franchise. When Willie and Neal express no interest, Stuart establishes a competing Flakes throughout the street, and the New Orleans cereal wars start.

Wanting to put Stuart out of business, Neal begins playing follow this link dirty tricks, the nastiest of which is the circulation of fliers to the homeless appealing 10 free bowls per customer at his competitors establishment. The trick sets off a near-riot that Stuart masterfully relies on his advantage.

Neals brand-new live-in relationship with Pussy begins to curdle when she turns traitor and goes to work for the competitors, hoping that the demise of the initial Flakes will leave Neal with time to finish his CD. If the name of atrioventricular bundle, Cereal Killers, is completely selected, its music is a joke.

When legal representatives end up being involved in the dispute, the films anti-establishment attitude evaporates, as does the tiny little bit of levity Flakes has produced.

FLAKES

Opens on Wednesday in Manhattan; also on Video as needed.

Directed by Michael Lehmann; written by Chris Poche and Karey Kirkpatrick; director of photography, Nancy Schreiber; edited by Nicholas C. Smith; music by Jason Derlatka and Jon Ehrlich; produced by Gary Winick and Jake Abraham; released by IFC First Take. At the IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas, at Third Street, Greenwich Town. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. This movie is not rated.

WITH: Aaron Stanford (Neal Downs), Zooey Deschanel (Miss Pussy Katz), Christopher Lloyd (Willie), Frank Wood (Bruce), Ryan Donowho (Skinny Larry), Izabella Miko (Strawberry) and Keir ODonnell (Stuart).