George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce. Romantic comedy. Written by Duncan Brantley & Rick Reilly. Directed by George Clooney.
FILM SYNOPSIS: This quick-witted romantic comedy is set against the backdrop of America’s nascent pro-football league in 1925. Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero who is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks. The captain hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country’s attention.
Welcome to the team Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), America’s favorite son. A golden-boy war hero who single-handedly forced multiple German soldiers to surrender in WWI, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. This new champ is almost too good to be true, and Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) aims to prove that’s the case. A cub journalist playing in the big leagues, Lexie is a spitfire newswoman who suspects there are holes in Carter’s war story. But while she digs, the two teammates start to become serious off-field rivals for her fickle affections.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Just one fly in the ointment. We’ll get to that in a moment. First, the positive. George Clooney is incredibly gifted. His looks and persona resonate with those of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era. (Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable had nothing on this guy.) He’s a true movie star and a talented actor as sly with comedy (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) as he is provocative with drama (Michael Clayton). What’s more, he seems to have spent time watching the work of the masters, from John Ford and Orson Welles to Lubitsch and Cukor, (not to mention the Coen Brothers), for he now applies the same sparkle to the films he directs. To top off his gifts, he’s wise. He surrounds himself with cinematographers, art and set decorators and other technicians who make him look brilliant. He knows when to rein in actors and when to give them screen space. Indeed, performers like working with him because he makes them feel important and they trust his judgement. And from all indications, Mr. Clooney is a nice guy. Man, he’s got it packaged, doesn’t he? When it comes to making movies, he’s as good as you get.
And so is this film. With more than a wink and a nod to His Girl Friday, handsome Clooney and hubba-hubba Zellweger banter with zesty repartee seldom seen in today’s movies. With its brassy score, golden hue look, and award-worthy art and set decoration, plus a witty script that incorporates the right touches of zaniness, whimsy and heart, the production is the best film of the year – well, so far.
Now for that ointment-covered fly. Mr. Clooney uses the expression “G..D…” in nearly every film he stars. He does it here, as well. And to prove that women are just as emancipated as men, Ms. Zellweger also uses the profane term. Now, I’ve gone on about this misuse of God’s name a great deal in the past. You know where I stand. Don’t have to say anymore. I realize that. But if the world’s biggest movie star uses it in every film, no matter the genre, I intend to rebuff its use and the actor’s ignoring of the fourth Commandment as often as he brakes God’s rules. (By the way, the film is all about the fun of breaking all the rules.)
All right, so profanity is irreverence toward God, big deal. In the grand scheme of things, profanity falls short as one of the great no-nos. Right? Wrong! Showing reverence toward the Almighty, which includes not taking His name in vain, is right at the top of the list of Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20. This ruling comes before covetness, adultery and, yes, killing. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:4 NIV).
Every time I hear George Clooney take God’s name in vain I wonder if he knows it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to Believers? Would that fact make him more circumspect concerning its use?
Distributor: Universal
Jodie Foster, Abigail Breslin, Gerard Butler. Action/adventure/sci-fi/comedy.
FILM SYNOPSIS: A young girl’s imagination rules the island she and her dad call home. It is an existence that mirrors that of her favorite literary character, Alex Rover - the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra, the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city – just her, her quirks, and the imaginary protagonist of her bestsellers. When Nim's aquatic scientist father gets lost at sea, the ten-year-old (played by the much older Breslin) gets spooked by a suddenly smoking volcano, the scrape on her knee and the approaching ship with the name Buccaneer. With the aid of a laptop and a twist of fate, Nim is about to be rescued by the phobic author of her favorite books.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Rather than a love/hate response to the screening, my emotional reaction is more of a like/ho-hum response. For non-discriminating children, it’s passable entertainment. After all, it’s a kid ruling an island surrounded by adoring sea lions and smarter-than-the-average pelicans, and a volcano to explore. But once they get to the point where children ask questions about credibility, I think even they will become disenchanted.
As for accompanying adults, most will become fidgety after the promising beginning begins to remind them of TV’s Flipper. Ms. Breslin is nearing that awkward age, when cuteness takes a backseat to adolescent awkwardness. As for Ms. Foster, well, her performance explains why she doesn’t do more comedy.
Nim sleeps with her head resting on the back of a walrus that never seems to get into the water, and her pet pelican squawks and honks communication to his (or her) humans with all the reasoning ability of Bullwinkle’s Mr. Peabody, the pedantic dog who traveled through time. Alexandra Rover displays every neuroses of TV’s Monk, without the comic prowess of Tony Shalhoub, and Nim, who’s supposed to be bright and helpful to her scientist father, doesn’t know how to care for a scraped knee. And the invading pirates turn out to be non-threatening tourists from a cruise ship, disappointing as there is no climatic battle scene. Then there’s that volcano that threatens to erupt. By film’s end, it’s quickly forgotten. Not a phrase studio publicists want to hear – “quickly forgotten.”
But it’s not a bad film. Like I said, kids may get a kick out of it. Parents, bring a book.
Distributor: Fox/Walden