**_Love is key to let down the mask and unite_** An alienated 17 years-old girl hiding behind piercings (Leelee Sobieski) applies for a job at a swank clothing store in a Los Angeles mall and starts an interesting relationship with the 49 years-old manager (Albert Brooks). But what’s the nature of their connection? The curiously titled "My First Mister" (2001) was Christine Lahti’s only directorial effort, as far as feature films go. It treads similar terrain as “Lawn Dogs” from four years earlier and does it better. Like that film, a few scenes come across a little awkward or unconvincing…