At the beginning of this film, there's a tight shot on Brooke Shields' baby face: she's watching something with interest and we hear a woman moaning just in front of her. Since we all know what "Pretty Baby" is about, one is to assume the child is watching some sexual act with curiosity. Actually, it's just the opposite. This is writer-director Louis Malle's clever way of laughing at the viewer, saying "You have the dirty mind, not I." It's a very smart way to begin to the picture, but little else occupied my mind after it got going. Why would Keith Carradine's colorless older man want to marry a pubescent prostitute? Nobody here is saying, especially not Carradine (who has one sullen expression to express every emotion). The photography and background scoring are gorgeous, however the story and characters provide no passion, no emotion. The film is like a stylish painting, but one full of dullards. *1/2 from ****