“Rocket Science,” the quirky comedy-drama drawing critical raves around the country and featuring Portland actress Anna Kendrick, is playing in Maine this week.

But it may not be for long. The film opened at the Cinemagic theater in Westbrook Friday and its last day probably will be Thursday, said Bob Collins, marketing director for the theater.

Collins said theater officials didn’t have a lot of advance notice about the film, and did not promote the fact that it featured a Portland actress in one of the lead roles. No other Portland area theaters have the film this week.

The film is directed by Jeffrey Blitz, who gained fame for his spelling bee documentary, “Spellbound.” “Rocket Science” is about a shy 14-year-old boy with debilitating stuttering problem who is recruited for the debate team by a pretty go-getter, played by Kendrick. Several reviewers have been impressed with Kendrick’s rapid-fire debate style on camera. The film won the best director prize for Blitz at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

“I thought I talked fast anyway, but this technique we had to learn is faster than auctioneers talking,” said Kendrick Tuesday.

Kendrick, 22, is a 2003 Deering High School graduate who also gained critical raves in 2003 for her role in another quirky movie about young people, “Camp.” That film was about a summer camp for musical theater junkies. She acted in local community theater productions around Portland as a child, then at the age of 12 she played the kid sister in the revival of “High Society” on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award.

Kendrick, who now lives in Los Angeles, recently finished two other films that will come out next year. One is an independent film called “Elsewhere” while the other features Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman and is called “The Marc Pease Experience.”