Blind Dating is about a virginal blind man looking for love. It's also about cross-cultural sensitivity and a scary surgical procedure.

But it's not preachy or weepy. Instead, it's a lively yet meaningful romantic comedy that doesn't lose sight of its central mission: to entertain.

Director James Keach and screenwriter Christopher Theo navigate a minefield of sentimental traps with a deft blend of heart and humor. In doing so, they hammer home a crucial message: There are no blind guys. There are only guys who happen to be blind.

That's the easygoing approach of Chris Pine as Danny, youngest son of a colorful, combative Italian-American family in lovely Anytown, USA (Salt Lake City hosted the shoot).

Danny deems blindness an inconvenience, not a handicap. His well-honed hearing and memory help him compensate — and even swish basketballs.

Determined to be treated like anyone else, Danny eschews dark glasses and rarely uses a cane. He just soldiers through life with good-natured resolve.

When he decides to get physical with women, impish brother Larry (American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas) takes charge. A limo driver with, shall we say, unorthodox female clients, Larry sets up his sibling with bombshell dates, sparking disastrous sex-comedy results.

Then Danny meets Leeza (Anjali Jay), a sweet, gentle woman who works at the clinic where he's a test subject for a surgical implant that could provide partial sight.

They connect warmly on innocent lunch dates. The trouble is, Leeza is committed to a marriage arranged by her large family of Indian immigrants. Sure, her fiance isn't right for her — but she's made a promise.

Though marketed as a sex comedy, Blind Dating also gets serious, and its shifts in tone don't always work. Yet it succeeds by getting with Danny's program and by cherishing humanity as a melting pot.

Besides, it's not just another movie about a struggling blind guy. It's about something better. It's about a guy.