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'Imagine That'

Comedy, PG, 107 min.

Based on a clever premise, "Imagine That" makes good use of star Eddie Murphy's comic strengths without letting him get too obnoxious. Its feel-good revelations are predictable, but it only really turns sappy toward the very end. And it offers an irresistible young co-star in newcomer Yara Shahidi, who very much holds her own. Murphy, above, stars as Evan Danielson, a Denver-based financial executive who barely has time for his 7-year-old, Olivia. Estranged from his wife (Nicole Ari Parker), Evan is stuck watching Olivia for a few days but has no idea what to do with her, so he ignores her . But she's paying attention to everything he says and does - and so are the princesses, Olivia's imaginary friends. Somehow, the princesses come up with advice on which stocks daddy should buy and sell - and somehow, they're always right. When Evan starts following their suggestions, he becomes a star at work - and naturally, learns to loosen up at home.

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'Management'

Romantic comedy, R, 93 min.

Everything about the relationship between Jennifer Aniston's Sue Claussen, right, 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), the 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 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. But he only makes you wonder how she ever ended up with him, either.

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'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3'

Thriller, R, 106 min.

The way the original 1974 film's title has been condensed tells you everything you need to know about the direction "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" is headed. In these fast-paced, mixed-up times, it simply takes too long to spell out the numbers. Inspired as the original was by the John Godey novel, "Pelham" stars John Travolta in the Robert Shaw role as Ryder, the leader of a group of baddies who take over a downtown 6 train. He demands $10 million in one hour (up from $1 million in '74) or he'll start killing the passengers. Denzel Washington (in the Walter Matthau role), above, plays Walter Garber, the dispatcher on the other end of the microphone who must listen/probe/stall/cajole as a de facto crisis negotiator. While Washington brings his typical grace to this rare regular-guy role, Travolta gets shrieky in a way that recalls his performance in the infamous "Battlefield Earth."

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