John Ratzenberger of TV’s Cheers fame is the troubled central character in The Village Barbershop, part of the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival.

A widower whose life is falling apart and is in danger of losing his barbershop finds redemption and hope in a young woman whose own life is falling apart in writer-director Chris Ford’s sweet, sentimental The Village Barbershop, which plays the Rhode Island International Film Festival tomorrow night.

Art Laraldi (John Ratzenberger) is losing his grip following the death of his longtime barbershop partner. Enzo did everything, from ordering products to handling the books to paying the bills. The nasty owner of the strip of stores where the shop is located is threatening to kick the barbershop out. Art retreats to play the ponies at a downtown Reno casino in hopes of solving his problems with a big payout. One wonders how Art, who seems naïve at best, got this far in life.

He’s still hurting from the death of his wife 11 years earlier. Sometimes, when life becomes too much for him, Art hits the bottle, which usually gets him in trouble.

Meanwhile, across town a young drifter named Gloria (Shelly Cole) is having boyfriend trouble. He’s a lout, something that grows more apparent the longer he’s on screen. With no prospects, she drifts into Art’s shop to answer his ad for a barber. Remarkably, she is not only a crackerjack barber and cosmetologist, but knows how to handle the books as well. Despite Art’s reluctance, he can’t fail to see the handwriting on the wall this time and takes Gloria on.

She not only decides to become his new partner, but to set things straight in Art’s life.

A lot of this set-up is contrived, of course. But the actors are so genuine that they create characters who transcend the rockier and more obvious parts of the script. Gloria’s winsomeness eventually pulls Art, a secretive man who hides his past and his hurts, into her confidence. This results in a touching scene between them in which he takes his painful past out of the shadows to her. Cole is perky and intelligent as Gloria brings a much-needed rush of fresh new thoughts into Art’s life, which allows him to move forward.

There are several surprises in Ford’s script, not always good ones for the characters involved. Even with Gloria’s smarts, the barbershop’s future is not assured. There are difficult moments for both characters to get around and a groundbreaking decision for Gloria about her own future. Both actors have showcase moments when their characters fall apart and view things through a dark glass. But it’s clear in the end that these two will get what each needs from the other: stability for her; a sense of responsibility for him.

A minor subplot involving Art’s personal war with his layabout, pot-smoking neighbors seems added on to give a touch of comic relief. But much of it seems forced, especially in a sequence in which a very drunk Art invades their house, believing it to be his.

Much of the rest of The Village Barbershop is honest, however, despite its contrivances. And Ford can’t resist giving us a crowd-pleasing Hollywood ending.

The Village Barbershop will be screened at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Columbus Theatre as part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival.

*** 1/2The Village Barbershop

Starring: John Ratzenberger, Shelly Cole, Cindy Pickett.

Rated: Not rated, contains adult themes, profanity.