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Management
(Romantic comedy, R, 93 minutes). It's easy to forget that Jennifer Aniston truly can act. It's easy to get caught up in her sunny looks, in the tabloid frenzy of her off-screen persona, and lose sight of the fact that, when given the opportunity in small, meaty films such as "The Good Girl" and "Friends With Money" and even "Office Space," she can reveal some real substance and depth. You want that for Aniston here, too, but the script from Stephen Belber doesn't give her enough room to breathe and shine. A playwright and screenwriter ("Tape," "The Laramie Project") directing for the first time, Belber surprisingly goes heavy on the quirk in this quirky romantic comedy and never develops a romance that feels believable. Everything about the relationship between Aniston's Sue Claussen and Steve Zahn's Mike Cranshaw feels contrived: the way they meet (she's a guest at the low-budget motel where he's the night manager), they way they first hook up (she walks into the laundry room and kisses him out of nowhere), the way they fall in love (he crisscrosses the country stalking her until he finally wears her down). They never make sense together as a couple; then again, neither of them is terribly well fleshed-out. Mike is in a state of arrested development, living and working at the motel owned by his parents (Fred Ward and an underused Margo Martindale). Sue is inexplicably closed off; we learn a little about her from her charity work with the homeless, but otherwise we never understand why she's so stoic and reluctant to fall in love. Woody Harrelson livens things up briefly as Sue's eccentric, once-and-future boyfriend, a punk rocker turned yogurt mogul. But he only makes you wonder how she ever ended up with him, either.
Rating: H1/2
Info for Parents: Rated R for language.
The Taking of Pelham 123
(Thriller, R, 104 minutes). Hijackers led by a man named Ryder (John Travolta) take a subway train hostage with the goal of exchanging passengers for $1 million. In their way is mild-mannered transit employee Walter Garber (Denzel Washington).
Rating: Not yet reviewed.
Info for Parents: Rated R for violence and pervasive language.
OK for all ages
Under the Sea 3D
(Documentary, G, 40 minutes). You never get used to it. Even about halfway in, even having settled into your seat, you'll still find yourself dazzled again and again by the impossibly breathtaking beauty of this underwater IMAX adventure. Longtime documentary filmmaker Howard Hall took his cameras to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Triangle of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to capture footage of a wild array of sea life. His intention was to entertain with wondrous visuals as well as convey a message about the impact global warming is having on these exotic creatures. Jim Carrey provides the narration, but the images are so distractingly awesome, it's often hard to pay attention to what he's saying. Kids will be delighted by the vibrant colors and the film's frequently playful tone - the sea lions with their expressive eyes, for example, are just too cute for words - while adults will be wowed by the complexity of the three-dimensional technology. Truly, giant chunks of coral seem to have been plopped right into your lap. A great white shark swims so close to your face, you can count its piercing teeth. And countless black-and-white-striped catfish cascade over each other as they feed on silt, undulating toward you in delicate waves. But much of the joy comes from discovering animals you might never have heard of before, such as the giant cuttlefish, which change color from deep red to bashful beige and back again to communicate with each other. They're a mesmerizing sight to behold - until their long, sharp tongues suddenly snap from their mouths to zap some poor, unsuspecting smaller fish. Cycle of life, man. Sunrise, sunset - even in some of the most remote places on Earth. Playing at the IMAX Theatre in The Quarter at Tropicana Casino and Resort.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: The movie is rated G for general audiences.
OK for 10 and older
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
(Comedy, PG, 105 minutes). This is one of those sequels in which "bigger" is supposed to mean "better," in which more characters, more sight gags and more adventures are supposed to add up to more fun. They don't. The follow-up to the enormous 2006 hit "Night at the Museum" heaps on the historical figures and crams them into not one but two museums, with the end result feeling crazed, scattered and desperate. So many new characters have been added to the ones who appeared in the original film, and director Shawn Levy flits between them at such a zippy pace, no one gets much of a chance to register. And that's a huge waste of the comic talents amassed among the cast. Besides returning stars Ben Stiller, Ricky Gervais, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan and Robin Williams, now we have Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Christopher Guest, Jonah Hill and Bill Hader. Having said all that, kids are the primary targets for a lot of the visuals, and will probably enjoy themselves. Stiller gets smacked around by two capuchin monkeys this time, and the T-Rex skeleton that acts like a playful pup should provoke some giggles. Stiller, as former night guard Larry Daley, returns to Manhattan's Museum of Natural History and discovers that the friends who came to life in the middle of the night are being shipped off to storage at the Smithsonian in Washington. And so he must step into action and save them, while also battling the Egyptian ruler Kahmunrah (Azaria), who has awaked from a 3,000-year slumber with plans to take over the museum, and the world. Also playing at the IMAX Theatre in The Quarter at Tropicana Casino and Resort.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: The littlest kids might briefly cower at the roaring T. rex skeleton, the giant squid, the Egyptian warriors with shrieking eagles' heads, or the huge sculpture of Abraham Lincoln coming to life. Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) carries a tommy gun, and Huns and Neanderthals wield swords and clubs, but no one gets hurt.
Up
(Animated, PG, 90 minutes). The title is deceptively simple, which is fitting, because the latest achievement from Pixar Animation is deeper and more complex on every level than it would initially appear. It's a classic B-movie exotic adventure, the kind that inspired Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to make "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but it's told through the most high-tech, gorgeous 3-D animation. It's a mismatched buddy comedy, the kind we've seen countless times before, but the buddies are a curmudgeonly 78-year-old man and a tubby 8-year-old boy - who wind up together in a flying house, traveling to South America. And, as with many family films that get pumped out each summer, it has talking dogs. But it's how the dogs talk and what they say that are truly inspired, and oddly realistic. Pete Docter (Pixar's "Monsters, Inc.") and co-director and writer Bob Peterson turn their imagination this time to human beings, rare creatures in the animated kingdom. But between the richness of the characters, the meatiness of their interaction and the authenticity of the details, it won't take you long to forget that "Up" is a cartoon and become immersed. Ed Asner is the perfect choice to voice the cranky widower Carl Fredricksen, who ties thousands of helium balloons to his house and takes to the skies, with endearing newcomer Jordan Nagai playing the overeager scout who's trapped on his front porch.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: Kids younger than 6 may start to fidget and wonder what's going on. There are some genuinely scary scenes, too, in which threatening dogs chase our heroes through jungle and canyon.
Older 13s
Angels & Demons
(Action, PG-13, 138 minutes). Blessedly, "Angels & Demons" is more entertaining and less self-serious than its predecessor, the dense and dreary yet enormously successful "The Da Vinci Code." In adapting another of author Dan Brown's religious-mystery page turners, Ron Howard wisely gave in to its beat-the-clock thriller elements, which makes for a more enjoyable summer-movie experience. But its twists, turns and revelations are just as ridiculous as those in "The Da Vinci Code" - perhaps even more so - and it breezes through arcane details with just as much dizzying speed. The key players are back from that 2006 international hit, including Tom Hanks as Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon and Akiva Goldsman as screenwriter (joined this time by David Koepp). Although the book "Angels & Demons" came out before "The Da Vinci Code," the film is positioned as a sequel to take advantage of the strained relationship between Langdon and the Vatican - only this time, it's his expertise the folks there reluctantly need. With the pope dead and the College of Cardinals about to meet in conclave to choose a replacement, a secret society known as the Illuminati has kidnapped the four likeliest candidates. Langdon must decipher clues at various churches and historical sites throughout Rome to prevent the killing of the cardinals, one every hour, leading to a bomb explosion at the Vatican. But wait, we haven't even gotten to the most laughable part of the story yet! Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgaard and Armin Mueller-Stahl are among the estimable supporting cast, all of whom have enjoyed the benefits of stronger material but manage to supply gravitas nonetheless.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: There are shootings, though with little gore, and mild profanity. Some will object to Langdon's sarcastic view of church doctrine.
The Brothers Bloom
(Comedy, PG-13, 113 minutes). With his 2006 debut "Brick," writer-director Rian Johnson had the vision and ambition to make a film noir set at a California high school. With his follow-up, he's made ... well, he's made a Wes Anderson movie, something that's idiosyncratic enough to qualify as a genre all its own. If Johnson lacks originality here, though, he makes up for it in vibrant energy and visual flair. If he's copying, at least he's made a better Anderson movie than Anderson himself has in about a decade. Eccentric characters, clever background details, anachronistic wardrobe choices and twee title cards announcing each new chapter - they're all there, but Johnson's own complex, verbal voice does emerge from these familiar aesthetic trappings. His con-man comedy is a blast, anchored by strong actors who don't get many chances to show their funny sides. Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody star as Stephen and Bloom, brothers who bounced between dozens of foster homes as children for their various schemes. Now, as adults, they've turned those schemes into a lucrative way of life. Stephen, the brains of the operation, draws up the elaborate plans; Bloom, the romantic, inevitably gets too involved emotionally and swears he wants out for good. And so "The Brothers Bloom" follows that tried-and-true conceit of pulling off one last job which, naturally, becomes way more complicated than anyone could have imagined. Rachel Weisz charms as a lonely heiress who starts out as the brothers' mark but becomes their exuberant partner in crime. And Rinko Kikuchi delivers a sly, silent performance as the brothers' explosives expert, appropriately named Bang Bang.
Rating: HHH
Info for Parents: Rated PG-13 for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language.
Dance Flick
(Comedy, PG-13, 83 minutes). From the minds that brought us the "Scary Movie" movies comes this spoof. Thomas Uncles (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Megan White (Shoshana Bush) are from opposite sides of the tracks, but they're brought together by their love of dance.
Rating: Not reviewed.
Info for Parents: The film has gross humor about female body parts, gay jokes, gags about teen pregnancy and neglectful parenting. There is mild profanity, sexual innuendo and jokes about drinking.
Drag Me to Hell
(Horror, PG-13, 99 minutes). The name alone tells you exactly what this is - an unabashed celebration of B-movie schlockery - but the dichotomies director Sam Raimi presents within that familiar genre are what make this such a kick. Raimi returns to the kind of cheeky horror that made him a cult favorite with the low-budget "Evil Dead" trilogy, but he applies all the high-tech tricks he's acquired with the blockbuster "Spider-Man" trilogy. He and brother Ivan Raimi have written a rather old-fashioned terror tale, full of curses and creaks, bumps and shrieks, but they've added a heavy splattering of their trademark dark humor. (Some of the absurdly funny visual gags include creative uses for office supplies, a talking goat and an unsuspecting kitty.) All these contradictions add up to one hell of a ride: You'll squirm, you'll scream, you'll laugh your butt off and beg for more. Alison Lohman's character, the innocent Christine Brown, gets more than she ever could have imagined. A bank loan officer competing for a promotion, she denies a creepy old woman an extension on her mortgage loan, thinking that's the right decision to impress her boss (David Paymer). Turns out she turned down the wrong customer: Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) is a vengeful gypsy who feels so shamed, she places a powerful curse on Christine that torments her day and night.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: The film's classic horror images include demons and corpses vomiting maggots and embalming fluid, eyeballs and false teeth popping out, a projectile nosebleed. Violent fights feature implied impalements, and there's a wormy scene in a reopened grave.
Land of the Lost
(Adventure-comedy, PG-13, 93 minutes). There is exactly one funny bit here, and it stands out because it bookends the film. Will Ferrell, as arrogant scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, appears on the "Today" show to discuss his time-travel theories and pimp out his latest book. Matt Lauer, thinking he's a crackpot, interviews him with unmistakabale disdain and chafes at Marshall's attempts to hijack the segment. In between, though, is an awkward combination of kitschy comedy (which is never amusing) and earnest action (which is never thrilling). And it's not as if the source material was worthy of a big-budget summer blockbuster starring an A-lister. The Sid & Marty Krofft TV series "Land of the Lost," about a family that gets sucked into a prehistoric age when an earthquake hits while they're rafting, aired for just three seasons in the mid-1970s. It was laughable with its stiff dialogue and low-tech effects. At least the series knew what it was, though. Working from a script by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas (though Ferrell and co-star Danny McBride clearly did a healthy amount of ad-libbing), director Brad Silberling can't seem to decide whether he's making fun of the show's cheesy visuals or seizing on its sense of rough-hewn adventure. And so in hopes of pleasing the lowest common denominator nonetheless, they offer an overload of jokes about dinosaur poop and urine. Danny McBride and Anna Friel co-star as Will and Holly, with "Saturday Night Live" writer Jorma Taccone as the mischievous primate Chaka.
Rating: H
Info for Parents: There is all sorts of sexual innuendo, gross toilet humor, midrange profanity and comedic mayhem, including an exploding dinosaur. There are swarming bugs and a huge, blood-sucking mosquito that gets squished. The men drink a hallucinogenic beverage. There is much gay humor and briefly implied toplessness. "Land of the Lost" is not really appropriate for grade-schoolers because of the sexual content, and really young kids may get scared by the T. rex.
My Life in Ruins
(Romantic comedy, PG-13, 96 minutes). As we learn here, the Greek word for mojo - or zest for life - is "kefi." Nia Vardalos' character has lost hers and needs to get it back. Wonder what the Greek words are for corny, hackneyed and flat. Because those are all applicable, too. Vardalos tries to recreate the unexpected magic of the 2002 sleeper smash "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which made her a star and earned her an Oscar nomination for her screenplay. Although she didn't write the script this time - that's the dubious work of former "Simpsons" writer and producer Mike Reiss - "My Life in Ruins" strives for the same sort of affectionately teasing ethnic humor. Instead, it feels like an uncomfortable parade of Borscht Belt gags and lame stereotypes. Vardalos stars as Georgia, a Greek-American tour guide living an uptight life in Athens. She always gets stuck with the obnoxious tourists while her rival gets the beautiful women and polite Canadians. These people are spectacularly unfunny, especially under the overly jaunty direction of Donald Petrie ("Miss Congeniality," "Just My Luck"). With her love of history, Georgia wants to share the glory of the country's ancient ruins and tell their stories; all her tacky travelers want to do is shop and eat ice cream. But this being a contrived romantic comedy, Georgia naturally finds love where she least expects it: right on her tour bus, with the long-haired, unkempt driver, who's been saddled with the unfortunate name of Poupi Kakas (Alexis Georgoulis). Go ahead, say it out loud to yourself. Then try to contain the sidesplitting laughter.
Rating: No stars
Info for Parents: There are several implied sexual situations, much sexual innuendo, some of it crude and/or homophobic, occasional sexual slang, rare profanity and drinking. More for high-schoolers.
The Soloist
(Drama, PG-13, 117 minutes). He's just another homeless man - layers of mismatched clothing, a shopping cart loaded with all his worldly possessions, a voice that never stops chattering and eyes that never make contact. But as he plays a battered violin, Beethoven pours out. And when he drops the phrase "my classmates at Juilliard," Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Lopez smells a story. It will be a compelling human drama of music and a promising life derailed by ... what? "The Soloist" is about Lopez's search for answers to that question and his efforts to make a difference in one man's life. That true story makes for an emotional, transportive movie, a film about two "soloists," loners, and how their connection changes both their lives. Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx, pitch perfect) so tunes out the world that he goes into highway tunnels to play - not for tips, but for solitude. Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is so wrapped up in his writing that he has lost a marriage (Catherine Keener plays the editor ex-wife) and is losing touch with his college-student son. It's marvelous work all around, especially by Foxx and Downey. Foxx makes Ayers mannered, nervous and sympathetic, yet a plainly ill man with the potential for violence. And Downey turns Lopez into a sympathetic ear who journeys from using Ayers to make a mark with his column to someone who realizes he needs to help this man to help himself.
Rating: HHH1/2
Info for Parents: There are briefly violent scuffles, a bloody crime scene with no body, people using drugs or unconscious from overdoses, occasional profanity, drinking, smoking, and toilet humor. For thoughtful teens.
Star Trek
(Action, PG-13, 127 minutes). J.J. Abrams' hugely anticipated summer extravaganza boldly goes to the past within the distant future of the "Star Trek" universe, years ahead of the TV series and the myriad movies and spin-offs it spawned. And in doing so, he and his longtime collaborators, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, change everything you know - or obsess about, if you're into this kind of thing - about the kitschy pop-culture phenomenon. It's a daring and exciting approach that's sure to tickle and provoke purists, while at the same time probably cause neophytes to feel a bit lost. A major plot twist pops up about halfway through the film (along with Leonard Nimoy), one that doesn't exactly work and from which the film never completely recovers, and from there the adventures feel a bit repetitive. Having said that, Abrams clearly aimed to appeal to the broadest possible moviegoing audience with this dazzling visual spectacle while also leaving plenty of Easter eggs for the hardcore fans to find. It's an absolutely gorgeous film with impeccable production design - the lighting is wondrous, almost heavenly - and lovely, tiny details frequently emerge from within the larger, grander images. Abrams certainly puts on a good show - between "Lost" and the 2006 "Mission: Impossible" sequel he directed, there's no question the man knows how to stage an action sequence - and the opening gets things off to a thrilling start. He efficiently and satisfyingly presents the back stories of the men who will become Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and puts them on a collision course with each other, which ups the excitement level early. John Cho, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana and Eric Bana co-star.
Rating: HH1/2
Info for Parents: There is implied torture, intense fighting, an implied impalement and a lobsteresque monster, as well as mild sexual humor and innuendo, a brief nongraphic sexual situation, rare mild profanity.
Terminator Salvation
(Action, PG-13, 114 minutes). We have seen the future, and the future is noisy. This fourth flick in the "Terminator" saga takes place in 2018, 14 years after Judgment Day. John Connor is a rising force in the resistance against Skynet, the artificial intelligence network that started thinking for itself and eradicating humanity, but he has yet to become its leader. He has seen destruction and listened to the recordings left by his mother that foretell his future, but he has yet to send anyone back in time in hopes of stopping it, including the man who will become his father. (You definitely need to have seen the first three movies to have a clue as to what's going on here, and why certain details matter. This is no time to play catch-up. Being a fan also helps.) Director McG, of the "Charlie's Angels" movies and "We Are Marshall," drops into this well-established lore and presents a post-apocalyptic world that is repetitively bleak and relentlessly loud. Yes, the machines have taken over, and so of course there's going to be a healthy amount of clanging, crunching metal - but even things that shouldn't be noisy, like the lighting of a flare, sound like a rocket launch. And Christian Bale steps into the role of John Connor, played previously by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, and he ... well, he does the same voice he uses when he dons the black suit for the "Batman" movies, a monotone, guttural growl regardless of the dialogue. John must find and protect his future father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), while trying to determine whether to trust the mysterious Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) to help in this quest.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: It's grimly violent, although with relatively little gore (a little blood and some needles) and rare profanity. A female character faces the briefly implied possibility of sexual assault. There are huge gun battles and crashing of machines.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
(Action, PG-13, 107 minutes). Hugh Jackman's mutant Wolverine goes to war in a prologue for this "X-Men" prequel where the immortal mutant and his brother (Liev Schreiber) fight in all the big ones, from the Civil War to Vietnam. The battles set a predictable tone from which director Gavin Hood rarely deviates. Hood presents one duel after another, with a brief respite for sappy romance so Wolverine can get really mad and hellbent on vengeance over his dead girlfriend (Lynn Collins). Wolverine fights his brother, he fights other mutants, then he fights his brother some more on his way to becoming the amnesiac, metal-clawed freak of nature Jackman played in the "X-Men" trilogy. For all the action, there's never much real sense of adventure or risk. We know Wolverine's going to take his lumps but come out OK (though minus his memories) by the time the credits roll.
Rating: HH
Info for Parents: The film is very violent, with lots of implied impalements and a beheading, but little gore. Innocents also die. It is an iffy proposition for middle-schoolers or preteens.
Mature high-schoolers
The Hangover
(Comedy, R, 99 minutes). You'd be forgiven for thinking this is a documentary. After all, who hasn't woken up in a trashed Las Vegas hotel suite with a missing tooth, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet and little or no memory of what happened the night before? Director Todd Phillips and screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore take this idea to bold new heights - or depths, depending on your perspective - with a comedy that stays weird and wild for the first two-thirds, only to disappoint in the final act. Structurally, though, it's based on a clever concept: Three guys take their buddy Doug (Justin Bartha) to Vegas for a bachelor party right before his wedding. When they wake up the morning after their debauched bacchanal, they realize the groom is missing - and that's only the beginning of their trouble. As they nurse their pounding heads and retrace their steps, they stumble down an increasingly absurd, and surprisingly dark, path. And because it all turns out to be so unpredictable, we feel like we're solving a mystery right along with them. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis make a believably motley trio, with Galifianakis in particular stealing many moments with a performance that's a fascinating balance of creepy and endearing. But Ken Jeong, veteran of many a Judd Apatow production, is stuck in a role that's a distasteful (and unfunny) stereotype of both Asians and gays.
Rating: HH1/2
Info for Parents: It features very strong profanity, rear-view nudity and toplessness, crude sexual language and innuendo, implied sexual situations, homophobic slurs, gross toilet humor, drug humor, and a poor joke about a grandmother's "Holocaust ring."
Rudo y Cursi
(Drama, R, 103 minutes). Enormously hackneyed in concept yet surprisingly enjoyable in execution, thanks to some amusing, surreal details and the genuine camaraderie of Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. You think you know where it's going, this story about the rise and fall of a couple of aspiring soccer players (who happen to be competitive brothers, another familiar theme). But the naturalism of writer-director Carlos Cuaron's approach is too compelling, as is, conversely, the liveliness of co-stars Luna and Garcia Bernal, longtime friends reunited for the first time since 2001's "Y Tu Mama Tambien." Cuaron, who co-wrote that movie, makes his feature debut here; it's also the first film from brother Alfonso Cuaron and fellow Mexican directors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Guillermo del Toro through their new company, Cha Cha Cha. So it's all very comfortable and chummy. Alfonso Cuaron has said that the relationship between the main characters isn't necessarily a reflection of his own childhood with his younger brother, but Carlos Cuaron has a clear affection for the way these guys tease, torment and ultimately stick by each other. Beto (Luna) and Tato (Garcia Bernal) work on a banana plantation and spend their free time playing soccer on the neighborhood team in Jalisco. They barely make enough money to get by, but both of their lives change when traveling talent scout Batuta (Guillermo Francella) notices their skills on the field and offers to take them under his wing.
Rating: HHH
Info for Parents: Rated R for pervasive language, sexual content and brief drug use.
Sunshine Cleaning
(Comedy, R, 98 minutes). It has become a genre all its own: the dysfunctional-family indie comedy, a staple of film festivals and art-house theaters alike. Done wrong, and these movies can seem too self-consciously quirky (and by now, "quirky" feels like a word that was created especially to describe this kind of film). Done right, and you've got a "Little Miss Sunshine" or a "Juno" on your hands. "Sunshine Cleaning" falls into the latter category - and its producers happen to have been behind "Little Miss Sunshine," as well. Both films share an Albuquerque, N.M., setting and Alan Arkin as a lovably outspoken father and grandfather. But really, that's where the similarities end; despite its perky title, "Sunshine Cleaning" is much darker as it ventures simply and realistically into suicide, adultery and loss. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt have great chemistry as Rose and Norah Lorkowski, underachieving sisters who stumble into the crime-scene cleanup business. Once a high-school cheerleader, thirtysomething Rose is now a single mom working as a maid. Younger sister Norah is even more of a screw-up, partying hard, getting fired from waitressing jobs and still living at home with dad (Arkin). All that changes - somewhat - when Rose's married lover (Steve Zahn), a cop, suggests that she try the lucrative world of mopping up messy crime scenes. Megan Holley's unsentimental script and the performances help keep director Christine Jeffs' film from turning too predictably feel-good; besides Adams and Blunt, with their subtle sibling dynamic, Clifton Collins Jr. is lovely in just a few scenes as the gentle soul who runs a cleaning-supply store.
Rating: HHH
Info for Parents: Aside from the graphic nature of the cleanups (the bodies are gone), the film touches on suicide and loss of a parent, and contains profanity, sexual situations - one is explicit - and pot-smoking. For film buffs 17 and older.
Posted in Movies on Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:10 am
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