Tears that don't move

Sam Taylor Wood's latest adventure, playing the crying game with a group of A-list Hollywood actors, proves that there are many ways to cry, but faking it doesn't necessarily make convincing art.

Being able to cry is a prerequisite of many acting roles, and though these 28 icons were unaware of their brief, they shed their Hollywood images, and made themselves vulnerable in front of the clicking shutter.

Ed Harris cried "for hours" and his grief drove the photographer, unusually, to tears. She captured many impressive performances, including those of Tim Roth, Sean Penn, Ray Winstone, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, and Kris Kristofferson.

Benicio del Toro contradicted the macho Latin stereotype and stood frozen in sadness; Paul Newman's lined face, partially hidden behind his hand, is sad beyond tears; Willem Dafoe's simple gesture of wiping away the tears is beautifully poignant; Forest Whitaker's open mouth implies uncontrollable anguish; Michael Gambon's wet, unseeing stare into the camera is exceptional.

The large, homoerotic portrait of Robert Downey Jr, lying across a bed in a pieta pose, partly covered by a blanket, is filled with crucifixion references, and also recalls Taylor Wood's sleeping "David"(Beckham). In contrast, the appallingly contrived image of Laurence Fishburne, full-face and head enclosed in a halo of light, is a clumsy parody of paintings of mediaeval saints.

Many visitors will find Taylor Wood's photographs moving (the sight of men other than footballers, crying?), but there's an uneasy quality of polished, art-paparazzi running through the show: Jude Law's moving character, crouching and vulnerable in a corner, hand hiding his face, could have been snatched at the Soho House (then never allowed to be published).

Ultimately, the contrived sadness contained in these intriguing photographs is diminished by the images of weeping victims of the international tragedies that bombard us daily.

White Cube Gallery. Until 4 December. Information: 020 7930 5373.