Starring Alex Campbell and Sarah Polley. Rated 18A. Now playing at the Cinemark Tinseltown

With parents like the callous nightmares played here (with gusto) by Sonja Smits and Nicholas Campbell, who wouldn't want to be a murderer? That's one of the main questions asked by director David Weaver, and it's echoed often by impressive young Alex Campbell (related to Neve, not Nick) as Joe, the eldest of four rich children who really would be better off on their own.

The coal-black comedy (that would be Christmas coal, as also seen in Seven Times Lucky, another Canuck effort released too long after its Yuletide sell-by date) is tricky to pull off. But the company keeps our spirits high while Jackie May's carefully rendered script manages to at least suggest something more than a series of ghoulish gags-although it is that, too.

The humour is occasionally undercut by more serious business, such as imputations of incest. There's one confrontation between Joe and his dad (or stepdad-I think even the kids aren't sure, because the parents have split up and remarried so often) that is chillingly effective. On the other hand, the farting dog and the little sister Danielle (Samantha Weinstein)-who is either retarded or a genius-could be symptoms of stylistic overreach.

Fortunately, we also have Tom McCamus, as a nebbishy but surprisingly effective lawyer. And Sarah Polley is especially strong, in a casual way, as the sassy, sexy neighbour whose nosiness is entirely welcome. Director Weaver (who last did the omnibus Century Hotel) juggles a lot of balls in this feel-bad comedy of nasty behaviour, and his artistry will not be to all tastes. Maybe it depends on how you feel about balls. And dead parents.