Pre-2001 movie with a Nick Nolte/William Hurt - type who might be a writer who leaves city life for a Gulf Bar-restaurant; lives in the back room, watching videos? Woman interest is a Helen Hunt/Laura Dern - type. Something about a phone booth outside the bar-restaurant; place's name might be a bird's name? Something about a watch; a police shootout at the end when some crime is discovered; closing shot on the watch -- she gave him? Has been driving me crazy for years; cannot find keywords that go to anything but Albino Alligator; that's not it.

This is a long shot, but it might be Full Moon in Blue Water with Gene Hackman and Teri Garr.

Thank you so much; am SO SURE this is it... I just bought the DVD at half dot com! Has been haunting me. Roger Ebert's review hints at many subplots... guess the watch and the phonebooth and the shootout at the end are "extras" -- I'd never have solved it myself!! Been bugging all my friends for years.