Robert Altman is like the little girl in the nursery rhyme who had a curl right in the middle of her forehead. When he is good, he is very, very good, but when he is bad—well, did you happen to catch "Quintet"?…

In what may be the swiftest rebound in cinematic history, Hollywood's most prolific film-maker has vaulted out of the metaphysical pits to create a wry, engaging, wonderfully perceptive romantic comedy. It is called "A Perfect Couple," and it is far and away Altman's most bracing, most satisfying movie since "Nashville."…

Integral to the movie's structure is the use of counterpoint to call our attention to contrasting but parallel elements in the principals' styles of living. And like the contrapuntal technique, the film itself is musical in conception.

Sheila, of course, is into rock; Alex is into the classics. Altman exploits their divergent tastes to create...