500 Days of Summer

As a post modern dissertation on a doomed lead-or-be-led relationship, director Marc Webb's romantic comedy suffers from script formatting that randomly jumps between specific days in the life of an affair between ego-hindered Tom (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and commitment-phobe Summer (played by Zooey Deshanel). In spite of its overworked structure, the movie captures a believable romance between Tom and Summer, who work together at a greeting card company. Insecure Tom lets Summer make the first move, and pays dearly for it as she lays the ground rules for what will be an emotionally bumpy ride for Tom. Summer insists that she doesn't believe in "love," while their coziness turns would-be architect Tom into a veritable song-and-dance man. The lopsided romance goes repeatedly off and on until a dramatic change of heart creates a climax that makes one of them a better person, and reveals hypocrisy in the other. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as a hopeless romantic, and Zooey Deshanel embodies a cold-fish charmer whose mod girl styling is but a clever disguise for a person looking for a better deal.
(Fox Searchlight) Rated PG-13. 96 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)

Easy Virtue

Stephan Eliott's Noel Coward adaptation hits a lilting comic gallop in '20s era England. Jessica Biel plays Larita, a race car-driving American interloper to Kristen Scott Thomas' snooty matriarch Mrs. Whitaker, whose son John (Ben Barnes) Larita is engaged to marry. Colin Firth lends the film an undercurrent of disillusionment as Mr. Whittaker, a layabout aristocrat who refuses to ignore the dire social conditions surrounding his lovely but crumbling estate. Although the filmmaker fumbles with connecting Noel Coward and Cole Porter tunes to the film's narrative fabric, Elliott wisely plays to the seething conflict between Larita and Mrs. Whitaker. Restrained in its execution, "Easy Virtue" is a nearly bawdy take on women's liberation in post Victorian England, preceeding the Great Depression.
Rated PG-13. 89 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)

Management

Disarmingly clever performances from Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston bring out the emotional highs of writer/director Stephen Belber's modest but effective romantic comedy. Zanh plays Mike, an immature thirty-something man/boy who lives and works at his parents' Arizona motel. Visiting corporate ice queen Sue (Aniston) stirs Mike's sense of romance, and he oddly melts just enough of her stoic veneer to grab a toe-hold on some part of her brittle yet charitable heart. Even with a limited budget, Mike jumps through life-altering hoops in pursuit of his one true love. Belber gives the comedy time to seed in and transform seemingly clumsy subplots and secondary characters into necessary elements for a well-orchestrated story. "Management" is a keeper.

(Samuel Goldwyn Films) Rated R. 90 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

I Love You, Man

Paul Rudd's understated comic genius comes to the fore in this nuanced romantic comedy that's as much about the intricacies of male bonding as it is about the invisible line between male/female relationships. Rudd plays L.A. real estate salesman Peter Klaven who proposes to his cute-as-a-button girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones) only to discover that Zooey's gang of girl buddies are suspicious of his long standing lack of male friends. Peter tries diligently to find a buddy to pal around with before his upcoming wedding because, well, he needs a best man. While presenting an open house for television star Lou Ferrigno, Peter meets alpha male slacker Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) and the die is cast. A common musical appreciation for the band Rush sets off a fast friendship that threatens to out-rev Peter's domestic marital plans. Paul Rudd is hilarious--watch him milk laughs out of the phrase, "I slappa da bass." And Jason Segel is on top of his game as an alternately aggressive and passive aggressive So. Cal. dude with spot on people-reading skills. Supporting comic efforts from the likes of Andy Samberg, Jane Curtain, and Jon Favreau redouble the fun. Here's a refreshing comedy that never tries too hard, and consequently leaves a lot of room for laughs to explode.
(Paramount) Rated R. 104 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

Confessions of a Shopaholic

"Confusions of a Shopaholic" would be a more accurate title for this garish romantic comedy that wants to have its thematic cake and eat it to when it comes to inveterate shopper Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher). Huge credit card debt from compulsively purchasing overpriced clothing from every haute couture designer boutique in Manhattan has left Rebecca penniless when she flubs a job interview for a finance magazine. The interview backfires into a writing position that Rebecca miraculously fulfills with an immediately popular column "The Girl In the Green Scarf," written from personal experience. Distilled from Sophie Kinsella's first two novels, the picture struggles to mitigate the importance of dressing in designer fashions for Rebecca's new high-profile job with the necessity of fiscal responsibility. Hugh Dancy plays Rebecca's editor/love interest Luke Brandon, but never strikes a spark with Fisher's character. It might have helped if the movie ever got around to showing what Rebecca did with her seemingly nonexistent paychecks.
Rated PG-13. 104 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)

He's Just Not That Into You

More of a romantic train wreck than a comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" is like a moderated game of heartbreak musical chairs. Screenwriting duo Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein turned Greg Behrendt's and Liz Tuccillo's self-help book into whiny little movie about a group of interconnected spoiled brat Baltimore twentysomethings who either don't know what they want, don't know how to get what they want, or haven't a clue about how to keep what they already have. Destined to be called the "Jennifer movie" because it stars Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, and Ginnifer Goodwin, the story grinds gears between a series of bumpy subplots rather than fully developed  set-pieces. From its lack of comic timing and romantic suspense it's clear that none of the filmmakers has ever seen a Woody Allen movie. Cheating, trying to get laid, and attempting to wrangle the opposite sex into marriage or something quite like it, never seemed so dull.

Rated PG-13, 129 mins. (C-) (Two Stars out of five--no halves)

New In Town

Rennee Zellweger works her romantic comic magic as Miami corporate climber Lucy Hill who volunteers to help restructure her company's food plant in Minnesota in the heart of winter. Lucy's culture shock is compounded by the conservative mores and short-list habits of a tight-knit community that she reluctantly comes to respect and even love, thanks in no small part to the outdoorsy charm of the town's union rep Ted Mitchell (played by Harry Connick, Jr.). "New In Town" is an uncomplicated fish-out-of-water romance with just enough modern-day social commentary to give it some substance. The sweetness here is far from saccharine, and well-crafted supporting role performances from Siobhan Fallon Hogan and J.K. Simmons go a long way toward anchoring the humor.

(Lionsgate) Rated PG. 96 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)

The Station Agent

The script for “The Station Agent” was custom written for its cast by debut director Tom McCarthy and is a testament to the liberating qualities of establishing character specificity to create a distinctive kind of screen magic. Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage – “Safe Men”) is a man of few words when the death of his best friend finds him seeking seclusion in an old rural New Jersey train depot that he now calls home. But the young dwarf is unable to avoid the friendly overtures of local townspeople Joe (Bobby Cannavale) a Cuban hotdog vendor, and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) an artist, who find the serious-natured “Fin” to be most enjoyable company. “The Station Agent” is a sweet art film that is unapologetic as it is memorable. Peter Dinklage’s performance is poetic and pure as any you will ever observe on screen or off. 
Rated R. 90 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

Yes Man

Jim Carrey's career has succumbed to painfully mediocre comedies and genre missteps for so long that "Yes Man" barely registers even as you're watching it. Carl Allen (Carrey) is like every New Yorker; "no" is his first response to anything. Recovering from a three-year-old divorce, depressed Carl is dragged by a caring co-worker to a self-help seminar led by a convincing guru (played by Terrence Stamp). Carl's following episodes of helping others and striking up a relationship with Allison (played by Zooey Deschanel), come as uninspired afterthoughts in a crumby feel-good movie about feeling good. Blech!

(Warner Brothers Pictures) Rated PG-13.

104 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)

Bride Wars

With a title like "Bride Wars" you'd expect some explosive comic moments of wedding sabotage and subterfuge, but instead you get a clunky formula  romantic comedy, even by Hollywood standards. Had Liv (Kate Hudson) married her best friend and rival Emma (Anne Hathaway)--it would have at least followed in the manner of pair's lovefest relationship. Best friends since childhood, Liv and Emma have long shared a dream of holding their wedding day at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel. Crisis comes via wedding planner extraordinaire Marion St. Claire (regally played by Candice Bergen), whose voice-over narration provides unnecessary exposition. Marion's facade of nuptial planning perfection collapses when she mixes the dates of Livs' and Emma's June weddings to coincide on the same day. Obligatory shopping, arguing, and dance sequences lead to a feeble climax. For their part, Hudson and Hathaway share little chemistry together in spite of their polished individual comic abilities. The worst thing about "Bride Wars" is that it's a boring movie.

(20th Century Fox) Rated PG. (D+ ) (One Star)

From Justin to Kelly: A Tale of Two American Idols

Television propelled teen idolatry – the kind that Moses would probably have disapproved – gets its ugly comeuppance in this musical about two college students, who meet and fall in love in Miami during spring break. Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini do their part to remind audiences that “Chicago” was an aberration to the fact that movie musicals suck in this transparent attempt to package silk from a sow’s ear. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might even hurl. Isn’t that what entertainment is all about? Robert Iscove (“She’s All That”) directs.
Rated PG. 81 mins. (D-) (Zero Stars)

Alex & Emma

Dostoyevsky’s real-life romantic experience surrounding his short novel “The Gambler” was the inspiration for this finely woven romantic comedy about Alex (Luke Wilson), a blocked novelist who falls in love with Emma (Kate Hudson), his stenographer while dictating his latest novella about failed commitment. The movie flip-flops between acted out scenes of Alex’s novel-in-progress, as influenced by Emma, and the creeping romance between the author and his opinionated audience of one. “Alex & Emma” has a light tone of modernized ’20s inflected comedy that Woody Allen would love to still be able to capture in his movies. As with most romances, it’s the chemistry that counts, and Hudson and Wilson share a fetching coupling that amply discharges Jeremy Leven’s buoyant script.
Rated PG-13. 93 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)

Gigli

Writer/director Martin Brest (“Scent of a Woman”) combines romance, comedy, and crime in a movie that will forever be blamed for bringing together Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for better or worse. Larry Gigli (pronounced like “really") is a small time hit man working on an assignment for an East Coast mob boss (Al Pacino) to kidnap Brian (Justin Bartha), the Tourette's Syndrome suffering brother of a federal prosecutor. Gigli gets seriously distracted when his boss sends in Ricki (Jennifer Lopez) to make sure Larry (Affleck) doesn’t screw up the assignment. Ricki’s feigned lesbianism merely stokes the fires of Larry’s dim-witted heart, and the rest is all about what makes Larry a “bull” and Ricki a “cow.”
Rated R. 121 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)

Woman On Top

"Woman on Top," as the title promises, is about a girl who can only achieve satisfaction if she’s on top. Isabella Oliveria (Penelope Cruz - "Live Flesh") is an under appreciated sexy Brazilian chef married to macho restaurant owner Toninho (Murilo Benicio). Isabella suffers from motion sickness that means she has to drive, take stairs instead of elevators, and be the one doing the pounding. But when Isabella catches Toninho doing the nasty with another woman so he can be on top for once, Isabella splits for San Francisco to curse that man right out of her heart, and win some notoriety of her own. Written by Vera Blasi, and directed by Fina Torres ("Oriana"), "Woman On Top" is a chick flick with so much colorfully spicy Brazilian food being passed around as a shared aphrodisiac, that audience couples will be running out the cinema for food and bed.
Rated R. 93 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

Love Don't Cost A Thing

"Love Don't Cost A Thing" is loosely based on the 1987 teen comedy "Can't Buy Me Love," and fails to improve on that tepid movie by using a milieu of black high school students. Nick Cannon ("Drumline") plays Alvin Johnson a geeky working class high school senior who pays off the most popular girl in school to be his girlfriend for two weeks in order to gain popularity. You'll cringe more than you'll laugh as Alvin puts on feminine airs of being a hip member of the 'in-crowd' even as his super-cool R&B loving father baits him with the proper use of condoms. Christina Milian has all the appeal of a thumbtack as Alvin's girl of de sire Paris Morgan.
Rated PG-13. 100 mins (D) (Two Stars)

Last Chance Harvey

The nightingale of mature romance sings a haiku tune for Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in a good-spirited romantic comedy worthy of their understated comic performances. In foggy London town American jingle-composer Harvey Shine (Hoffman) arrives to give away his daughter at her large-scale wedding. Trouble is that daughter Susan (Eileen Atkins) wants her new step-dad Brian (James Brolin) to do the honors. With no job to return home to, Harvey courts London-native Kate Walker (Thompson) with more gusto than he's probably shown in many years. As a tender and musically-embellished love story told with delicate simplicity, "Last Chance Harvey" is a winner.

(Overture Films) Rated PG-13. 90 mins. (B+)

Laws Of Attraction

Pitched as a homage to George Cukor’s 1949 classic romantic comedy “Adam’s Rib” (with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy), “Laws of Attraction” is far separated from that film’s exceptional timing and sincere comic exploration of a competitive couple of married lawyers. Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan play two eligible New York divorce attorneys drawn together by mutual attraction and court cases. Where Hepburn and Tracy were an established married couple in “Adam’s Rib,” Moore and Brosnan have to play a losing game of catch-up in order to fall in love, get married, and still have a shot at longevity. It’s indicative of our time that the screenwriters couldn’t begin to fathom a couple of married lawyers without first explaining away the necessary undertaking of such a relationship. The divulged conflict resolution of Hepburn and Tracy as a committed couple is reduced to Moore and Brosnan trying to find a reason to be together in the first place.
Rated PG-13. 90 mins. (C) (Two Stars)

13 Going On 30

Jennifer Garner breaks character by forgetting that she’s playing an awkward  13-year-old girl in a 30-year-old woman’s body in this girly comedy based on the same plot conceits as “Big” (1988) and the more recent “Freaky Friday.” Overnight, Jenna-the-goofy teenager becomes Jenna-the-popular adult managing editor of a woman’s magazine when her young admirer Matt sprinkles ‘wish dust’ on her 13th birthday. Mark Ruffalo adds much needed ballast to the movie as the adult version of Jenna’s former friend Matt, whom she dumped to curry favor with her snotty girlfriends at her birthday party. The apocalyptic core of the movie is an ill-advised line dance sequence imitating the Michael Jackson “Thriller” music video. If that’s not enough to scare you, then you might just be young and girly enough to delight in director Gary Winick’s (“Tadpole”) middling attempt at teen comedy. 
Rated PG-13. 97 mins. (C) (Two Stars)

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

A romantic love letter to Manhattan's downtown music scene, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" finds New Jersey high school senior Nick (played by Michael Cera) nursing his bruised heart by making volumes of mix CDs for his snooty ex-girlfriend Tris. Enter Norah (played by Kat Dennings), already intimately familiar with Nick's mix CDs, to make the most of a show where Nick's band is playing. One fast kiss between Nick and Nora sets them off an all-night search to see their favorite band "Where's Fluffy?," and to locate Norah's missing 3-sheets-to-the-wind amigo Caroline (played by Ari Graynor). Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO fame contributed musically to the light-hearted inner city road comedy that grooves on a youthful vibe from relatively obscure bands. The soundtrack is a keeper.

(Sony Pictures) PG-13. 90 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

What Happens in Vegas

This tone-deaf flick from hack screenwriter Dana Fox, is an example of a Hollywood formula romantic comedy where the author never properly learned the recipe. After being fired from his father’s cabinet construction company, Brooklyn lay-about Jack Fuller (played by Ashton Kutcher) heads off to Vegas with his attorney pal at the same time that fellow New Yorker Joy McNally (played by Cameron Diaz) is there recovering from being dumped by her fiancé. Jack and Joy have a wild night on the town that necessarily includes a drunken trip to the altar. The couple’s mutually agreed on divorce plan snags when Jack hits a 3 million dollar jackpot with Joy’s quarter. Back in New York, judge Whopper (played by Dennis Miller) decrees that the pair must make an honest effort at making their marriage work for six months before either can access any of the money. Back and forth games of marital sabotage transpire from the relative discomfort of Jack’s former bachelor pad, but there are no laughs to be had. 

Rated PG-13, 101 mins. (C-) (Two out of Five Stars)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Full-frontal male nudity achieves de rigueur R-rated status in American cinema thanks to the shameless efforts of Judd Apatow’s gang of cutting-edge writers and directors. It’s not exactly telling tales out of school to reveal "Sarah Marshall’s" opening scene wherein on very nude Jason Segel exposes more than just his character’s Peter Bretter’s heart on his sleeve before being unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend of the film’s title. Sarah (Kristen Bell) is a semi-famous television actress who throws over Peter’s affections in favor of a Fabioesque British singer/songwriter. Unromantic, and romantic, intrigue follow when Peter attempts to escape his broken heart on a trip to Hawaii where Sarah and her cocky boy toy have coincidentally rented a room in the same plush hotel. Jason Segel makes a nearly lovable sadsack who gets some sensual healing from the hotel’s lovely concierge Rachel (Mila Kunis). The comedy is at once sophisticated, Bawdy, and infused with ridiculous situations derived from screenwriter/actor Jason Segel’s checkered romantic past. It’s at least as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. Well, almost.

Rated R, 112 mins. (B)