The Kids Are All Right (2010) [R] ****

Eighteen-year-old Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and fifteen-year-old Laser (Josh Hutcherson) are children of lesbian parents Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore). Each woman bore one of the children, but both used the same sperm-donor. Nic and Jules could not be more different; the older Nic is a controlling, highly-stressed physician, while the younger Jules is a sensual, go-with-the-flow creative type who is starting a new vocation in landscape design.

Joni, Nic's biological daughter, is a brilliant student who is preparing for college, in contrast to her younger brother Laser, Jules' biological son, who is directionless, and has fallen under the influence of a thrill-seeking, cocaine-addicted classmate. Laser becomes curious about the identity of his sperm-donor father, and convinces Joni to take the steps to contact him. They discover that Paul (Mark Ruffalo) is a laid-back restaurant owner and organic gardener. And when the two teenagers introduce Paul to their Moms Nic and Jules, Paul discovers that he is becoming part of their family unit, with some serious, unintended consequences.

On one level this film asks some interesting sociological questions. How does one select a sperm donor – is it based on genetic history, educational achievement, financial success, IQ, physical appearance? Is parenting defined as: (a) the biological donation of sperm or egg; (b) carrying the fetus in your womb for nine months; or (c) nursing, nurturing and raising the child for eighteen years after it is born? And what connection does a sperm donor have to the parenting process, nearly twenty years later? While the individual performances are excellent, particularly Bening, Moore and Ruffalo, the film's thematic material, its offensive language and depiction of teenage drug use, as well as its intense, gratuitous sexuality, is likely to make some viewers very uncomfortable, especially younger viewers who might otherwise benefit from viewing it. 

Labels: comedy, drama, lesbian   
IMDb 71/100   
MetaScore (critics=86, viewers=72)   
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=78, viewers=74)    
Blu-ray

The Romantics (2010) [PG-13] ***

It's their wedding weekend, and Lila (Anna Paquin) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) are getting married at Lila's family's East Coast waterfront estate. The wedding party includes Laura (Katie Holmes) who is Lila's best friend, Harvard roommate, and maid of honor, as well as a half-dozen of their college friends, collectively named The Romantics.

There's an undercurrent of tension between Lila and Laura, who were so close, before Tom came between them, that their friends named them Lala. For his part, Tom, is experiencing pre-wedding anxiety. He loves Lila, but doesn't know why and cannot express his feelings for her, although he's an English Ph.D. candidate. Curiously, however, he is able to eloquently express his feelings for Laura, whom he dated for several years prior to dating Lila, and for whom he still lusts. Laura, for her part, is in love with Tom, and cannot understand why he picked Lila instead of her. She's a published writer, and she's a perfect match for Tom, intellectually, emotionally and sexually. Why doesn't Tom recognize this, and what can Laura do about it?

Written and directed by Galt Niederhoffer based on her own novel, this independently-produced film is a talky, character-driven romantic comedy drama with glacial pacing, little character development, little tension between the main characters until the very end of the film, and insufficient material to support a 90 minute running time. While The Romantics may have aspired to be an ensemble romantic drama, like The Big Chill or St. Elmo's Fire, it falls far short of the mark. Don't waste your time on The Romantics. 

Labels: comedy, drama, romance 
IMDb 50/100   
MetaScore (critics=43, viewers=59)   
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=44, viewers=48)

Iron Man 2 (2010) [PG-13] ****

It's rare for a sequel to be as good as the original, although Iron Man 2 comes closer than most. Reprising his Iron Man role as Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. displays a seductive combination of bravery, narcissism, vulnerability and even a fear of death. He's assisted by his secretary Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his military liaison Lt. Col James Rhodey Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who has a much larger, sidekick role.

Every superhero must have a nemesis, and in this story it is Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a brilliant but brutish Russian genius who uses the groundbreaking work of his father, once an employee of Stark Industries, to create a fearsome, super strong flying suit, with long, whip-like arms that shoot bolts of lightning, and is the equal in many ways to Stark's. And, of course, the U.S. military wants to get their hands on Stark's Iron Man; Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), CEO of Hammer Industries, and U.S. Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) are co-conspirators in the plot to achieve this goal.

The screenplay by Justin Theroux is fast-paced, although it feels over-plotted, with a subplot involving a super-secret international spy agency with its own agenda, personified by Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, whose martial arts prowess is reminiscent of Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux. As a result, Gwyneth Paltrow is left with little to do but whine and look petulant, while Sam Rockwell's role is reminiscent of similar corporate bad-guy roles in films like I, Robot and Spider-Man. The action sequences are dazzling, and production values, including costumes, sets and special effects, are over the top, but in the end it is Downey Jr., Rourke and Cheadle whose performances are critical to the success of the film, and they do not disappoint. 

Labels: action, adventure, flying, sci-fi, thriller    
Internet Movie Database    
Metacritic 57/100    
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=65, viewers=74)    
Blu-ray

Flipped (2010) [PG] ****

It's 1957, and seven-year-old Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) and his family move into the neighborhood on Bonnie Meadow Lane. Little does Bryce know that the pretty young girl who lives across the street, Juli Baker (Madeline Carroll) will develop a crush on him, that he will do everything in his power to avoid and evade her, or that six years later, when they are classmates at Mayfield Junior High, their roles will flip and he will fall in love with her.

Co-written and directed by Rob Reiner, based on a novel by Wendelin Van Draanen, the story takes us back to a simpler, more innocent time, and anyone who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s will feel transported to that era... the dialog, costumes, sets and music are authentic. While the supporting cast does an excellent job, this is really Madeline Carroll's movie, and she gives a pitch-perfect performance, as though she was a thirteen-year-old combination of Lindsay Lohan and Christina Ricci. As Bryce's grandfather (played by John Mahoney) observes about Juli: Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. But every once in a while you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare.

If you enjoyed classic films of the era, films like Pleasantville, Peggy Sue Got Married and A Summer Place, you'll probably enjoy Flipped. 

Labels: comedy, drama, family, Fifties, romance, Sixties  
Internet Movie Database 77/100   
MetaScore (critics=45, viewers=78) 
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=60, viewers=78)    
Blu-ray    
Wendelin Van Draanen quotes

James Berardinelli's review, rated 3.5 out of 4 stars

Knight and Day (2010) [PG-13] ***

Roy (Tom Cruise) is on a mission, and on the run from some very dangerous people. In the Wichita, Kansas airport he meets June (Cameron Diaz) who's on her way home to Boston for her sister's wedding, with a carry-on full of spare parts to rebuild a '67 Pontiac GTO. Roy tries to caution June against getting on the aircraft, and as he predicted, before the flight's an hour old there are half a dozen dead bodies, Roy has crash-landed the commercial jet, and he and June are on the run.

Featuring a sparkling, entertaining screenplay by novice writer Patrick O'Neill, fast-paced direction by James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma), great special effects and tight editing, this film is a real thrill-ride. While the bad guys drop like flies, there's little or no blood spilled, weapons never run out of bullets, and basic laws of physics are often suspended. There's some memorable dialogue and good chemistry between Cruise and Diaz. If you enjoy action-comedy-thrillers in the tradition of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you will not want to miss Knight and Day. 

Labels: action, adventure, comedy, romance, satire, thriller   

Internet Movie Database  

Metacritic 46/100  

RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=56, viewers=64)  

Blu-ray1  

Blu-ray2

RED (2010) [PG-13] ****

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is a retired, black-ops CIA agent, living on a government pension in a nondescript Cleveland suburb. He's bored and lonely; his only friend is Sarah (Mary-Louis Parker), his case worker at the government pension processing center, whom he calls monthly to talk about his pension check and the romance novels she's reading.

After surviving an assassination attempt, Frank discovers that he and his former CIA team have been targeted for elimination because of their involvement in a covert action many years earlier, and that Sarah, because of her connection with Frank, is also a target. While they try to stay one step ahead of the assassination team, Frank and Sarah criss-cross the country reassembling Frank's team, including Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich, all of whom are RED (Retired: Extremely Dangerous). Ultimately, they must break into CIA headquarters, where they uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.

Based on the D.C. Comics cult graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, this film is pure entertainment, an action comedy with big guns, big explosions and non-stop laughs. While the script is not particularly subtle, and major plot points are telegraphed in advance, the fast-paced action, high production values and the incredible acting talent assembled for this project all insure that the audience has a good time. The supporting cast includes Karl Urban and Rebecca Pidgeon as the black-ops assassination team, Brian Cox as a Russian KGB agent, Richard Dreyfuss as a corrupt arms dealer, and Ernest Borgnine as a CIA records keeper. If you enjoy fast-paced comedy action thrillers, films like Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) and Knight and Day, then you won't want to miss RED. 

Labels: action, comedy, crime, reunion, spy, thriller    
Internet Movie Database    
Metacritic 61/100    
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=63, viewers=74)  
Blu-ray1  
Blu-ray2

How Do You Know (2010) [PG-13] ***

Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is 31, and past her prime as a member of the USA women's softball team. Regardless, when she's unexpectedly cut from the team it comes as a huge shock, and she resists moving on even while she is critically evaluating her life and what she wants for her future. In a weak moment Lisa agrees to move in with her current boyfriend Matty (Owen Wilson), a major-league baseball pitcher, although she doesn't trust him and doesn't think he's really grown up yet. At the same time, she is intrigued by George (Paul Rudd), a gentle but bewildered corporate executive who is being investigated by the SEC for securities fraud, and who is beginning to suspect that he has been set up by his manipulative father (played by Jack Nicholson), the founder and CEO of the company. 

This is a film that offers the viewer very little satisfaction. While the three leading characters - Witherspoon, Rudd and Wilson - are likeable enough, there isn't a clear story arc, and there's frustratingly little romantic chemistry between Witherspoon and either Wilson or Rudd. There's also a sub-plot involving a pregnant secretary (played by Kathryn Hahn) that contributes little to the plot or to the development of the main characters. And, finally, the third act is slow, meandering and unfocused. Written and directed by James L. Brooks who boasts 19 Prime Time Emmy Awards, and who both wrote and directed such great films as Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and As Good as It Gets, this film is both glib and tediously long. As an example, the title How Do You Know comes from a baseball bullpen conversation about knowing when you're really in love. The answer is that you'll use a condom when you're having sex with other women.

Only forgiving fans of the luminous Reese Witherspoon should bother with this film. A strikingly similar, but far more rewarding film on a closely-related theme is Life or Something Like It with Angelina Jolie, Edward Burns and Christian Kane. I can highly recommend that film, but not How Do You Know. 

Labels: baseball, comedy, drama, romance    
Internet Movie Database    
Metacritic 46/100    
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=49, viewers=50)    
Blu-ray