The idea of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie headlining a film seems like a good enough idea.

But sometimes ideas don’t create the magic that a viewer hopes, and that’s the case with “The Tourist.” Despite the star power, the film lacks fireworks. It proves to be a case of big star power with low wattage.

Jolie plays Elise, an English woman linked to a man who has embezzled $2 billion from a drug lord. Under surveillance by police, Elise is contacted by the man, who instructs her to find a stranger and make police believe he is the man they are looking for.

Elise chooses Frank (Depp), an American math teacher on a train heading to Venice. The brief encounter turns both Elise and Frank’s world into chaos, with the pair caught up in a game of cat and mouse with the police and the mob boss.

There are plenty of problems with “The Tourist” – starting with the lack of chemistry between the two leads. This should be a relationship that sizzles, but the promised chemistry from the trailer never materializes.

That could be linked to the fact that both actors aren’t really at top form. I’ve never been much of a fan of Jolie, but she just comes off as a live action Barbie doll here – with absolutely no sign of life or emotion whatsoever. Depp is miscast, never quite believable as this everyman who gets caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

The lack of chemistry could also be a result of some rather flat direction from Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who seems more impressed with visuals and less impressed with pacing. Detractors of the recent George Clooney film “The American,” who felt the film moved at a snail’s pace, should be even more frustrated here. The film doesn’t move slowly, it struggles to even crawl.

It’s such a slow burn that by the time the film delivers a couple of twists in the final act, the payoffs don’t even register. It’s just more tepid moments in a film that is a click below mediocre.

Also in theaters

With “The Tourist” disappointing, there are plenty of better options for the weekend – including “Fair Game” (B), which opens in Bowling Green after a limited run in other markets. This is a compelling thriller that further questions America’s involvement in Iraq.

Based on a true story, “Fair Game” tells the story of Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), the CIA agent whose cover was blown by White House officials in an attempt to discredit a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece written by Plame’s husband, Joe Wilson (Sean Penn).

The piece is a scathing attack on the Bush administration, which at the time claimed it had intelligence that suggested Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, justifying the invasion of the Middle Eastern country.

Director Doug Liman does a good job of letting the story speak for itself, sparing the audience from too much soap-boxing. Watts and Penn are both solid, although Penn’s performance does border on over-the-top in a couple of key scenes.

The film is based on books written by the couple, so it is clearly slanted in their direction. Still, I found the idea that this could have happened to be fascinating – a further indictment of the Bush presidency and an intriguing look at how one action could cause a chain reaction that threatens to shatter a family.

“Fair Game” is rated PG-13 for some language and opens Friday at the Greenwood Mall 10.

— To get sportswriter/movie reviewer Micheal Compton’s up-to-the minute thoughts on all things movies, visit his blog at mcompton.wordpress.com or his Twitter page at twitter.com/mcompton428. You can also e-mail him at mcompton@bgdailynews.com.