Any actor would give his right arm – or any other body part for that matter – to play disabled. Yes, it's physically and mentally challenging, but the rewards can be great: just ask Daniel Day-Lewis and his Oscar-winning left foot.

John Hawkes, who amongst other things, has had a recurring role playing the brother of Kenny Powers in the HBO comedy Eastbound & Down, plays a character paralysed from the neck down (based on the essay On seeing a sex surrogate by poet/journalist Mark O'Brien), no doubt hoping to have members of the Academy sitting up and paying attention, even if his character can't.

As a poet, Mark (Hawkes) writes about his experiences in life. His disability however, can make everyday activities that everyone else takes for granted extremely challenging; as a child he was struck down with Polio and had to be placed in an iron lung to keep him alive ever since. And as he's found out to his cost, iron lungs are not the greatest chick magnets.

Now, as a grown man, he decides that he doesn't want to die a virgin and wants to have sex. He discusses this notion with his priest, Father Brendan (William H. Macy), who, as a fairly liberal member of the cloth, gives him his blessing.

Mark, being practical, realises that he will probably have to pay for someone to perform the service he requires. Cheryl (Helen Hunt) enters his life; she's a professional sex surrogate, who is more than familiar with meeting the needs of the disadvantaged.

Part of her contract is that they can only have a finite number of sessions together, mostly in order to prevent any meaningful bonding occurring. But despite it being a physical journey that Mark embarks on, a friendship out of unusual circumstances also blossoms.

So John, do you think I should wear this to the Oscars?

Where this film struggles to come to life is in the direction; Ben Lewin has a history of directing made-for-TV projects and it shows. There's certainly more of a small screen mentality in translating this story to the big screen that makes it somewhat lacklustre in tone and delivery. It's nicely told and well acted, but offers nothing more than that.

There's no doubt that this film isn't without its charms, but it fails to truly entertain. Hawkes does well in giving his character real personality, despite the physical limitations. And Hunt is superb in portraying a woman with an interesting job description with an acute sense of down-to-earthness. But just like Hawke's character from the neck down, it's all a bit too limp.

What must have added insult to fake injury for Hawkes is the fact that it's Hunt, somewhat ironically, who has actually picked up an Oscar nod for her performance, which must have Hawkes cursing under his iron lung-produced breath.