Something’s Gotta Give
PG-13
3 Stars
Directed By Nancy Meyers
Starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves
Something’s Gotta Give
PG-13
3 Stars
Directed By Nancy Meyers
Starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves
Harry is a 63-year-old record executive and commitment-phobe who exclusively dates younger women. One of his paramours invites him to her mother’s house in the Hamptons, where he suffers a heart attack. While he recovers, he begins to fall for the mother.
Either I’m getting a lot less cynical, or these types of movies are getting better. Diane Keaton sparkles, Nicholson is at his curmudgeonly best, and both bring something fresh to their roles. Funny without ever devolving into a boilerplate bedroom farce, the dialogue is snappy but retains a real-life quality not usually found in romantic comedies.
Paycheck
PG-13
3 Stars
Directed By John Woo
Starring Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti
Michael Jennings makes his living as a “reverse engineer” whose memory is routinely erased after each job to portect his clients. When he tries to collect his latest paycheck, he finds that he has voluntarily forfeited his payment in exchange for 19 everyday objects that may offer a clue to his recent past.
A great premis that is farly well executed. Even Affleck haters should have fun trying to figure out the clues with the protagonist. John Woo’s action sequences are competent, if not exactly groundbreaking. Paul Giamatti makes the most out his small role here. A capable action flick.
Peter Pan
PG-13
3 Stars
Directed By P.J. Hogan
Starring Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood
Updated production of J.M. Barrie’s tale of Wendy, a stifled young girl living in Edwardian England with her brothers in a strict household. Their drudgery is relieved by Peter Pan, a boy with the power of flight who takes them on an adventure to battle the evil Captain Hook.
Audiences burned by Steven Spielberg’s lackluster Hook can take heart. This Aussie production makes great use of today’s effects technology with out getting bogged down in it. Director Hogan stays mostly true to the source material, slyly imbuing it with subtle sensual themes that won’t be found in the Disney version.
Mona Lisa Smile
2 Stars
Directed by Mike Newell
Starring Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal
A progressive art history professor from Berkley tries to convince her female charges that Wellesley is more than a waypoint between high school and marriage.
No animals were harmed in the making of Mona Lisa Smile, although a number of dead horses were flogged beyond recognition. This oversimplified look at 1950’s mores and gender roles is further dulled by a preponderance of one-dimensional characters. Further infuriating is the film’s refusal to actually follow through on its thesis, instead providing a wishy-washy ending designed to mollify both right and left sides of the aisle.
Calendar Girls
PG-13
3 Stars
Directed by Nigel Cole
Starring Helen Mirren, Julie Waters
In an effort to raise money for a local hospital’s visiting room, members of a Yorkshire women’s society print a charity calendar. Instead of the churches and gardens usually portrayed, they pose nude while doing their chores.
Older women get The Full Monty treatment in this British comedy. Based on a true story (to which it has apparently remained very faithful), Calendar Girls examines the expected and unexpected results of the ladies’ new found notoriety. The genuinely funny dialogue is enhanced by excellent performances from Waters and Mirren.
Lord of the Rings: Return of The King
PG-13
4 Stars
Directed By Peter Jackson
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellan, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin
In the third and final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn accepts his destiny as King of Gondor, and leads his armies against the evil forces of Mordor, while Frodo and Sam trek to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.
Fans of the previous two films will be more than pleased at this conclusion of director Jackson’s masterpiece. The battle scenes are more brutal than in the previous two films, but Jackson also gives us plenty of personal time with the characters we’ve come to enjoy over the past three years.
Stuck on You
PG-13
3 Stars
Directed by the Farrelly Brothers
Starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear
Bob and Walt Tenor are conjoined twins and local fixtures in their hometown of Martha’s Vineyard. When Walt decides to go to Hollywood to become an actor, Bob (who has a debilitating case of stage fright) has no choice but to come along. Their bond is threatened by the Walt’s success and Bob’s desire to have a relationship.
‘Stuck on You’ continues the Farrelly tradition of taking a sensitive issue and applying merciless comic scrutiny to it. Well, almost merciless. This movie’s main flaw is that it’s a little too nice. It does present a nice comic departure for Damon, however.
