I was predisposed against "Opa!" because of that annoying exclamation point, and the movie did little to redeem itself.

It benefits from the beauty of the Greek island of Patmos, but even the gorgeous scenery is undone by the uninspired and largely uneventful story and the absence of discernible chemistry between the stars.

The movie opens with the arrival on Patmos of an American archaeologist named Eric. Like his late father before him, he has come in search of a chalice said to have been used by St. John.

Unlike his dad, who was an old-school, sift-through-the-dirt archaeologist, Eric uses high-tech satellite gadgetry to probe the earth. And he believes he has discovered exactly where the priceless relic lies buried.

That would be beneath Patmos' most popular "taverna," which is owned by the island's most popular woman. That would be Katerina.

We know she's a free spirit because she laughs a lot, frequently breaks into dance and is given to cycling hands-free while shouting the word that gives the movie its title. ("Opa" seems to be an all-purpose Greek expression of joy.) Katerina also is saving her love for just the right guy.

That would be -- you guessed it -- the handsome American archaeologist. And "Eric the American," as he has come to be known to the locals, loves her right back. But love, as it is wont to do, impales the poor guy on the horns of a dilemma.

Does he tear down the taverna and retrieve the cup? That would bring him fame and fortune but cost him Katerina, who would be understandably peeved by the demolition of her taverna. Or does he go for the gal and abandon St. John's vessel to the sands of time?

Only those who stay awake for the entire movie know for sure. And that isn't easy, given that there's not even a spark of electricity between co-stars Matthew Modine and Agni Scott. Rarely have onscreen touches and kisses -- and even mutual calls of opa -- seemed so unenthusiastic.

About that pesky punctuation. Exclamation points often are poison in titles because reviewers can't use them at the end of a sentence without giving a false impression. For example, "Avoid 'Opa!'" is good advice but too forcefully expressed for a movie whose worst crime is being a bore.

At the same time, one can sympathize with the movie's makers. If we put a little life into the title, they must have thought, maybe no one will notice it's a dud.