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Introverted, understanding meter maid Claire (Samantha Morton) has a pretty uneventful life, comprised mostly of being yelled at by people she tickets and taking care of her ailing mother (Teri Garr). Some variety comes from a possible romance with meter man Jay (Jason Patric), whose sweet side only occasionally peeks through his quick temper and thin skin—both cultivated by a life of being called a loser by his family after a failed marriage and accidental parenthood.

Big question: Can this indie drama help us relate to people so often perceived only as mean-spirited annoyances?
 
Catch it: Delicately depending on its actors to show how these two could coexist, “Expired” turns its uncomfortable central relationship into a fascinating study of symbiotic personalities. The movie’s far from a conventional romance—most of the time, you’ll dislike Jay and wish Claire would run for the hills—but Morton’s compassion and Patric’s wounded desperation make it work, and make it hurt.
 
Skip it: If you’re frustrated by the unreliability of delivery services. Claire’s friend (Illeana Douglas) works for a company whose motto is “We deliver … when we get there.”
 
Bottom line: “Expired” seems to think negligent parkers never take any responsibility for their crimes—surely some don’t freak out at the person who caught them!—and probably gives Jay too much leeway in keeping Claire interested despite his repeated outbursts. But the movie considers the ugliness, the anger and the baggage that can come with new relationships, and the universal question of whether two people can understand each other’s past enough to make a future.

Bonus: Make note of Jay’s comment about Claire’s aunt and add it to your list of things never to say to a significant other: “She’s like a bad Xerox of your mother.”

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