While some people saw "Black Snake Moan" because they were intrigued by a film about a man who chains a woman to a radiator, many other people flocked to theaters as devotees of pop star Justin Timberlake, who has a supporting role in the movie. Director Craig Brewer, who also made "Hustle & Flow," had a gift for those fans. The opening sequence of "Black Snake Moan" features Timberlake in the throes of passion. The sex scene is fairly graphic, a mess of grunts and freckles. For Timberlake followers who have spent good money (in some cases, their allowances) on albums, concerts, and copies of Seventeen with the crooner on the cover, the first minutes of "Black Snake Moan" answered an important question: "What would it be like to be with Justin?" Most likely, what those fans saw on screen is exactly what it would be like, in real life. Because even the diehard fans know, Timberlake can't be that good of an actor.

MEREDITH GOLDSTEIN