Movie Reviews

'Holmes' for the holidays

Dr. Watson (Jude Law) and Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) between explosive moments.

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Sherlock Holmes

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Running time: 128 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13 (extreme action violence, startling images, suggestive material)

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"Sherlock Holmes"

Who let the hounds of the Baskervilles out?

British director Guy Ritchie, that's who.

Ritchie may push stylized filmmaking to the brink of over-indulgence in wildly entertaining crime-thrillers like "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch."  But when he's not catering to the whims of the lady of the house, now ex-wife Madonna, in a sultry, boring remake like "Swept Away," Ritchie knows how to fill a movie screen with explosive action worth watching.

"Sherlock Holmes," the umpteenth big screen or TV rehash of the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's revered consulting detective, is a visit to London's late 19th century 221-B Baker Street like never before.

With brooding Robert Downey Jr. in the lead as Holmes and Jude Law as collaborator Dr. John Watson, Ritchie's take on Holmes is to turn the keen observer, bare knuckles boxer and master of deduction into -- are you ready? -- an intellectual superhero.

Shocked?  Don't be.  It's an elementary 21st century movie character makeover, my dear movie-goer.

When I read the Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels in my youth, I found them intellectually fascinating for a kid of 12 or 13, but a little, shall we say, dusty.

With Ritchie behind the camera and a screenplay-by-committee (three screenwriters, working from a story conceived by two others), "Sherlock Holmes" is a mad dash with equal parts wit and truly special special effects.  In layman's terms, that means that Ritchie blows stuff up real good.

Ritchie doesn't cater to Holmes' signatures, such as the old fogy deerstalker hat and the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."

The filmmaker does, however, cater to his own signatures.  Slow-motion leads to sped-up action a couple of times (one too many, from this aisle seat).  I must admit, though, it's an effective way to showcase Holmes' thought process as he prepares to take out an oversize goon or bare knucks boxer.

What I like best about this "Sherlock Holmes" is the performance of Downey.  That shouldn't surprise anyone.  Downey, a two-time Oscar nominee ("Chaplin," "Tropic Thunder"), is an immensely talented and versatile actor.  Case in point, his temperamental inventor of war tools and anti-hero in "Iron Man" and the upcoming sequel.

Downey's Holmes, though also a superhero of sorts of his time, cares more about the intellectual challenge when "the game's afoot."  In this case it's Mark Strong  (also on screen in "The Young Victoria") as Lord Blackwood, a deviously worthy dark arts-loving adversary who warrants Holmes' full attention.

Law ("My Blueberry Nights"), who'll appear soon in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" along with the late Heath Ledger, handles his role as Holmes' almost-equal partner with style and ease.  And Rachel McAdams ("The Time Traveler's Wife") plays the sultry femme fatale role quite well as Irene Adler, a character mentioned briefly in Doyle's short story "A Scandal in Bohemia."

I'm not sure how the Holmes' expert devotees, the Baker Street Irregulars, will feel about their hero out front in a new-fashioned action thrill ride that, for the most part, delegates the deducting to the backseat.

I know this, though.  This "Sherlock Holmes" is one hell of a stylized entertainment ride.

Meryl Streep, the over-actress; 'It's Complicated'

Exes Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin) drown their differences.  (Universal Pictures)

It's Complicated

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Running time: 118 minutes

MPAA rating: R (adult situations, nudity, drugs)

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"It's Complicated"

It's been said more than once that the great actors could read from a telephone book and keep audiences entertained.

"It's Complicated," a cliché laden romantic-comedy, is good for a couple of solid laughs, I'll admit.  Otherwise, three very good actors -- Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin -- might as well be reciting ads from the Yellow Pages in this lovers' triangle yawner.

It's not complicated, it's a major misuse of multi-Oscar winner Streep, who plays a well-adjusted California divorcee named Jane.  

A Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant owner, Jane is lonely and flirting a little with Adam (Martin), her remodel-the-home contractor.  Life does take an abrupt turn when Jane hooks up -- and I do mean hooks up -- with ex-husband Jake (10 years removed) on a trip to New York to celebrate the graduation of one of their kids.

I've been intensely evaluating movies longer than I care to remember.  With the possible exception of Carrot Top and confetti-tossing Rip Taylor, I can't remember anyone overacting to the extent Baldwin and Streep (Yes, Meryl Streep!) do under the misdirection of writer-director Nancy Myers.

If almost any other trio of actors were involved, I would quickly write off this contrived, run-of-the-mill exercise in romantic-comedy frustration.

There's a problem with doing that because ... well, this part is a little complicated.

Even when Streep (Yes, Streep!) and Baldwin are misfiring, they are still two of the most interesting actors of their generations.  I don't include Martin in the grossly overacting category.  Even though he falls back on the old "happy dance" at one point out of what I suppose is utter desperation, Martin pretty much maintains his acting dignity.

Not so with Baldwin and Streep.  For whatever reason, they buy into the Meyers life-as-a-fairy tale scenario completely.  Perhaps Martin is spared because he empowered those semi-awful, sugary sweet "Father of the Bride" movies Meyers co-wrote in the '90s.

In her defense, Meyers has made some decent films.  "What Women Want," starring Mel Gibson as a confused man who can hear women's thoughts, was one.  "Something's Gotta Give," pairing Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton (who shared the screen in the "Bride" flicks with Martin), was somewhat entertaining as well.  At least more fun than this.

There's probably no way devoted fans of Streep, Baldwin or Martin will pass on this one.  Unless you simply must go, however, move on to better holiday movie offerings.

Now you've heard about 'The Morgans,' so pass

The Morgans (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) are having a little trouble getting into the hoedown.  (Sony Pictures)

Did you Hear About

the Morgans?

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Running time: 103 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13 (profanity, violence, sexual references)

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"Did You Hear About the Morgans?"

I liked "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" much better the first time around, when it was titled "City Slickers."

Actually "Morgans," a romantic-comedy teaming Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant, doesn't follow the exact same story line as "City Slickers," which starred Billy Crystal in 1991.

Both films are one-trick concept ponies about New Yorkers roughing it in the wild, wild New West.  With Crystal and his big city pals Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby, it was midlife crisis that forced them to try beans around the campfire.  

Separated marriage partners Meryl (Parker) and Paul (Grant) Morgan leave town for a slightly more serious reason.  It is life or death.

Meryl, a real estate tycoon, agrees to have dinner in New York with her disconnected attorney husband.  (Though apologetic, he cheated.  She didn't like that much.)  After coffee and dessert, they witness a murder and become targets of a resourceful contract killer.

Even though they aren't exactly arguing under one roof at the moment (or for three months), the Morgans are rushed into witness protection together.  That means a government jet ride to Tinytown, Wyoming to bunk with the local U.S. Marshal (Sam Elliott) and his pistol-packin' wife (Mary Steenburgen) out in what we used to call "the sticks."

Take it, "City Slickers," you've got it from here.  "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" isn't just a one trick pony, it's a little cinematic horsey with blinders on.

Neither semi-estranged spouse had much time to pack for the sudden trip to an unknown destination.  Grant, though, managed to bring along one suitcase and writer-director Marc Lawrence.  If I could have grabbed just one, it would have been the suitcase.

This is the third collaboration between Grant, the very funny English gent of "Bridget Jones's Diary," "Love Actually" and "Notting Hill," and Lawrence.  Unfortunately, Lawrence directed none of those.  He pushed Grant awkwardly forward in "Two Weeks Notice" (2002) and "Music and Lyrics" (2007).

Whether it has something to do with the director or simply lousy karma, there's not much screen electricity buzzing between Grant and Parker as they learn to love the country bumpkin locals.  When they're not jogging idly through bear country as nonchalantly as they might do in Central Park.  

Actually, strike that last comment.  I'm pretty sure Central Park is more dangerous than bear country.

The point is that "Did You Hear About the Morgans" only rarely conjures up genuine entertainment.  Parker and Grant both behave as if their agents signed the respective contracts for this sputtering comic-romance when the stars weren't looking.

It's good to see perpetually irascible Wilford Brimley ("The Road Home," Quaker Oats TV spots) getting a gig -- albeit a small one -- as the irascible local cafe owner, though. 

That's not enough to recommend this "City Slickers" rehash, though, goldarnit. 

'Avatar' reignites Cameron's epic movie magic

Neytiri (Zoë Saldana), left and Jakesully (Sam Worthington) unite to save the Na'vi homeland.  (20th Century Fox)

Avatar

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Running time: 150 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13 (extreme action violence, profanity, sensuality, smoking)

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"Avatar"

James Cameron doesn't simply make movies.  He relentlessly innovates and pushes the art form forward.

"Avatar," the Oscar winner's first narrative feature since "Titanic" in 1997, fills the screen as the first perfect blend of computer-generated special effects, animation and meaningful human acting in the history of cinema.

We can add the most effective use of 3-D as well.  Although "Avatar" will be available in both 3-D (for a slight premium, of course) and standard 2-D, I highly recommend spending the extra buck or two in this instance.  The added dimension makes sense for a futuristic sci-fi fantasy adventure that unfolds in 2154.  That's especially the case when the action unfolds on a vegetation-filled lush moon called Pandora 4.4 light years away from a seriously energy depleted Earth.

If you've been anywhere near a television set or movie theater in the past month or so, you already know that "Avatar" features 10-foot-tall blue-skinned indigenous natives who don't take kindly to Earthlings bull-dozing their precious rain forest.  The unwelcome interlopers are in search of a rare mineral that might hold the key to Earth's dire 22nd century energy crisis.

What you might not know going in is that the script, written by director Cameron, very smartly uses all the innovative gadgets, but only as elements of what Cameron calls his "tool box."

The motion capture filming process, where actors perform with sensors all over their body, but enhanced here to include intimate facial expression,  effectively inserts key actors under the alien skin.  Animation makes their tails sway in sync with the bodies, and 3-D -- never, ever used as a jump-out-at-the-audience gimmick -- makes an exotic, animal-filled, vividly colored, computer-generated alien world appear to actually exist.

The story itself is a bit of a pulp fiction sawhorse.  The filmmaker admits as much.  This time, though, when the newcomer (Sam Worthington) rides into a foreign land and mingles with the locals, it's not Kevin Costner going native with the Sioux in "Dances With Wolves), it's a wheelchair bound ex-Marine whose mind is inserted into a lab-created Na'vi body.

Jake Sully (Worthington), or Jakesully as the natives refer to him, is on a scientific mission headed by Grace (Sigourney Weaver) to learn the secrets of communing with nature.  That would make a fascinating little story.  But it that would also deprive Cameron the fun of bombastic conflict, and perhaps some not-so-veiled comments on this country interloping on other lands for precious resources.

Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephan Lang of "The Men Who Stare at Goats," "Public Enemies") and the greedy bottom-line-profit-driven corporate project leader Carter Selfridge (excellent actor Giovanni Ribisi, also in "Public Enemies") set the stage for mortal combat quite effectively.

At the heart of "Avatar," however is a totally believable love story.  And it doesn't merely involve a former Marine who gets a second chance at movable legs, albeit long and skinny and alien, who falls hard for Na'vi princess warrior Neytiri (Zoë Saldana of the "Star Trek" remake).  Saldana deserves an Oscar nomination for a superbly human performance in what amounts to an alien body.

A film this creative, this spectacular, this perfectly performed comes along once in a blue moon, or whenever Cameron gets the itch to innovate on the highest creative scale again.

I hate to be the one to say it, but if "Avatar" catches fire at the box office, Cameron could be headed for another one of those embarrassing Academy Award night outbursts at the winner's podium:

"I'm the king of the other-world, too!"

'Young Vic' intriguing, but not memorable

 

Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria.  (GK Films)

The Young Victoria

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Running time: 100 minutes

MPAA rating: PG (mild sensuality, violence, smoking)

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"The Young Victoria"

The really special, memorable historical dramas covering ascension to the British throne offer more than just elaborate costumes, pomp and circumstance and powdered wigs.

"The Young Victoria," for instance, ups the ante with sly, intriguing political maneuvers, royal family infighting and budding love.

While it falls a little shy of the truly greats like Helen Mirren's Academy Award-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth II ("The Queen") in 2006 or Cate Blanchett's two Oscar nominations for portraying the first Elizabeth ("Elizabeth" and the sequel), "The Young Victoria" isn't exactly a cinematic First Lady in Waiting.

Emily Blunt was nominated for a Golden Globe Award earlier this week for this title performance.  On the verge of her 18th birthday and imminent domain of the British throne once her bombastic, heavy drinking uncle, King William (Jim Broadbent), passes, young Victoria has grown up in torment.

Her father died when she was young.  Victoria's overbearing mother, The Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson), under the harsh influence of her desperately ambitious adviser Conroy (Mark Strong), tries to give her daughter the royal flush.

Why the rush to become queen?  Why not let Mommy not-so-dearest rule for a while until Victoria's ready?

Blunt, also nominated for a Golden Globe award for her agitated work opposite Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada" in 2006, goes regal and generally calm in this outing.  

It works.  But watching "Young Victoria" unfold on screen, I couldn't help wonder why ascension-to-the-U.S. throne dramas never captivate like our British counterparts.  True, Josh Brolin's George Bush didn't get to put on a fancy red robe or a crown in Oliver Stone's "W." last year.  He did get to sit in the  big chair, so to speak, though.

I think it's something else.  Americans, and this includes our filmmakers, are too "cool" to show the human side of our leaders.  Oh, we're quick to lampoon as Stone does with "W."  But that's different.  With an intriguing script by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park"), "Queen Victoria" lets the royal foibles show.

Scheming prime minister Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany) may not be as good for the teen queen as he seems, while scheming cousin Albert (Rupert Friend) of Belgium might just have more to offer than shows upon first meeting.

From this aisle seat, French-Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, known for the mystical coming-of-age tale "C.R.A.Z.Y." ( 2006), seems like an odd fit for this historical royal romance at first. Vallée's ability to keep the story moving forward with the needed blend of intrigue and romance makes this an enjoyable look back at British history, however.

Just not a truly memorable one.

Your 'Frog' prince has come; hop to it

Can she do it?  The frog insists one little kiss will work wonders.  (Disney Enterprises Inc.)

The Princess and the Frog

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Running time: 95 minutes

MPAA rating: G (action violence, scary images)

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"The Princess and the Frog"

With all due respect to recent giant leaps in computer animation technology, "The Princess and the Frog" churns up a singing, dancing, eye-popping musical fairy tale gumbo the old fashioned way and with great success.

Welcome back, traditional hand-drawn animation.  I never thought I'd be glad to see an animated comic-romance where everything stops so the ingenue or the handsome leading man or, in this case, a trumpet-blowing alligator or a 197-year-old magic queen of the bayou could wail a tune.

It happens quite often in Disney's retooling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Frog Prince."  Co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, who called the shots on "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin" and more, this laugh-filled tale hops to with rousing jazz, blues and gospel music from Oscar-winning composer Randy Newman ("Toy Story," "Cars").

You probably don't need to be told that at some point a princess will kiss a frog in hopes of the frog turning into a handsome, and quite human, prince.  This story, written by the directors and Rob Edwards, varies the theme to include a wild trip through the swamps around Roaring '20s New Orleans.

Although the 95 minute running time might challenge the attention span of little tykes (I might cut out one or two tunes), there's no lack of forward story movement, pulsating music and shadowy voodoo, which they do and might be a little much for very young kids.

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose "Caroline, or Change") pumps determined life into Tiana, a rich (in family love) poor girl with a big dream.  She wants to open a restaurant that her Daddy (Terrence Howard) also dreamed of but never accomplished.

It's not as simple as kissing a frog to make it happen in this well-constructed romantic-comedy, however.  There are more obstacles than Tiana can shake a gumbo spoon at.  For one thing, the slimy frog claiming to be Prince Naveen of far-off Maldonia might just be a frog.

All the voices are right on the money.  John Goodman bellows as Big Daddy.  Keith David, whose animated form looks a lot like they had Samuel L. Jackson in mind, fills the screen with frightening voodoo menace as Dr. Facilier and  Broadway vet Jenifer Lewis ("Eubie," "Hairspray") stops the show as a backwater bayou voodoo-doo queen encouraging two frogs and an oversized alligator to "Dig a Little Deeper" if they want to be human.

Gather up the kids, in fact the entire family and head to the theater knowing that "The Princess and the Frog" is a tremendous success at recreating the nearly lost art of hand-drawn enchantment.

'Invictus': It's got game, needs more Mandela

Morgan Freeman, left, and Matt Damon recreate South African history.  (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Invictus

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Running time: 134 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13 (profanity)

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"Invictus"

Noble and well acted, "Invictus" is the captain of its creative soul.

Perhaps a co-captain was in order.

Surprisingly, to me at least, director Clint Eastwood devotes long periods of valuable screen time focusing on the grunts and dropkicks of rugby while  Morgan Freeman, as revered South African leader Nelson Mandela, wagers a case of wine with his New Zealand counterpart up in the stands.

"Invictus" is a good film.  In fact, it excels at times.  It barely scratches the surface when it comes to fertile Mandela history, however.  After all, this is the man who spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid.

When he was elected president a few years later in 1994, Mandela worked tirelessly to unite a bitterly divided country. He didn't just fight to soothe the ravaged souls of the overwhelming black majority, either.   Mandela forgave the whites, who locked him away for the best years of his life.

From this aisle seat, I just didn't expect Eastwood to use the weary Big Game crutch to tell this story.  While heartfelt, it  lacks character depth.  Expect to learn as much about the president's body guards as the leader himself, for instance.

Freeman, who has teamed with Eastwood the director twice before ("Million Dollar Baby," "Unforgiven"), has been working to portray Mandela for years.  According to written reports, Freeman favored "A Long Walk to Freedom," Mandela's autobiography.

Eastwood and South African screenwriter Anthony Peckham take the shorter stroll, using a screenplay based on John Carlin's book "Playing the Enemy."  That turns the focus to rugby, a sport arguably less known in this country than soccer.  It also calls for a co-leading man.

Although his South African accent wobbles as much as the ball sailing through the goal posts, Matt Damon ("The Informant!") is believable enough as Francois Pienaar, captain of South Africa's underdog Springboks.  

Mandela's goal is to unite his nation through sport.  So over tea in the presidential office, the South African leader urges Pienaar to win one not for the Gipper, but for a nation that might just come together if things work out right in the World Cup winner's bracket of 1995.

In the most touching moments of "Invictus," Mandela recites lines from William Ernest Henley's poem that inspired the future leader to survive almost three decades of confinement.

"I am the master of my fate:

"I am the captain of my soul."

I can find no fault in Freeman's performance.  The Academy Award winner under Eastwood's tutelage in "Million Dollar Baby" captivates as usual.  That's one of the reasons "Invictus" as it stands is still a worthy effort despite its narrow story focus.

Eastwood, known for working fast -- a take or two will usually do -- and moving on, is to be credited for accurately capturing a key moment in South African sports.  "Invictus" was shot entirely on location in and around the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa and it shows.

As Eastwood's camera took a bus ride with the rugby team on a day trip to inspire the impoverished local kids, though, I couldn't help wondering what Mandela was up to that day.

Dazed and confused with a backstage pass

Christian McKay channeling a young Orson Welles.  (CinemaNX Films One Ltd.)

Me and Orson Welles

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Running time: 113 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13 (sexual references, smoking)

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"Me and Orson Welles"

When I first saw Richard Linklater's blustery, entertaining "Me and Orson Welles" at the Toronto Film Festival in Sept. 2008, I emerged with two thoughts.

A:  I wonder how many people realize just how daring and inventive Linklater, a Houston native based in Austin, really is as a filmmaker?

And B:  If there's a God in cinematic heaven, this little gem of a show biz period piece will find a distributor.

It took a while, but Linklater's "Let's put on a show!" recreation of the founding days of New York City's fledgling, but innovative Mercury Theater in 1937 finally springs to life for anyone willing to pay the price of admission.

I generally don't like to encourage money spending in this tight economy.  But if you're curious about what was going on in the mind of 22-year-old Orson Welles, or you're a Linklater ("The School of Rock," "Dazed and Confused") fan, or you love backstage comic-dramas, "Me and Orson Welles" is a must-see.

And here's another revelation.  It turns out that Zac Efron, that singing/dancing phenom of "High School Musical" fame and "17 Again" shame (not his fault) can really act.

Efron plays inquisitive 17-year-old Richard Samuels, a kid who can strum a ukulele a little.  Richard gawks his way down Broadway and stops at 41st to see what all the commotion is about.

Welles, portrayed magnificently as a youthful genius-in-the-making by British theater actor Christian McKay, is blustering about; shouting orders, firing people (then hiring them back) and working with his partner, John Houseman (Eddie Marsan), to shake up the New York theater.

Welles' vision of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" is billed as "Caesar:  Death of a Dictator" and will feature Roman senators in Fascist military uniforms.

The best thing about "Me and Orson Welles" is how completely Linklater's production sweeps the audience into the fast-paced backstage and out-front theatrical melodrama.  You'll feel like you can almost smell late 1930s New York, even though this ensemble piece was shot on the Isle of Man and in and around London, including Pinewood Studios.

If there's a drawback, it's that Linklater tries to do too much with the story.  Subplots abound in this blaze of ensemble action with a coming-of-age focus.  Richard, wide-eyed and innocent, falls hard for Welles' assistant, Sonja Jones, played convincingly by Claire Danes.  

Sonja's an "older woman" in this scenario.  The kid doesn't just learn how explosive the mind of a creative genius can be.  He's also blindsided with the  fact that a woman -- especially one with stars in her eyes -- doesn't always follow her heart in matters of love.

It's a shame we don't see more of McKay as Welles, though.  The concert pianist-turned-actor resisted cashing in on his resemblance (uncanny, I think) to a young Welles early in his acting career.  Thank goodness he came to his senses.

McKay, the axle everything turns on here, was in New York performing "Rosebud:  The Lives of Orson Welles" when Linklater was made aware of his dead-on reincarnation of one of the most powerful spirits in film and theater history.

Clooney's 'Air' tight acting perfection

Frequent flyer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) proudly displays his Admirals Club card.  (Paramount Pictures)

Up In the Air

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Running time: 109 minutes

MPAA rating: R (profanity, adult situations, nudity)

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"Up in the Air"

George Clooney has been close to a perfect performance before.

Clooney's goofball, hillbilly turn in the Coen Bros.' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" was near-perfection in 2000.

In Jason Reitman's pitch-black dark comedy "Up in the Air," Clooney achieves the one thing that has eluded the versatile leading man with the easy grin throughout his career.  That's not taking a single misstep.

He's worked with some excellent directors.  The Coens are not slouches, of course.  Others who've gotten good work from Clooney include Stephen Frears in the TV version of "Fail Safe," Wolfgang Petersen in "The Perfect Storm" and Clooney himself in "Good Night and Good Luck."

There's something very special about the way leading man Clooney and director Reitman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sheldon Turner (based Walter Kirn's book) connect in "Up in the Air," however.

As movie-goers, we should be impressed that the director of "Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking" has fine-tuned the ultimate Clooney screen performance.  

Clooney can run the emotional table on screen from the aforementioned goofy to glum.   This stone-faced, pitch-perfect performance is a precise fit to Reitman's darkly comic tone.

If you lost a job this year -- as thousands did, as I did -- it may be a stretch for you to feel all the morbid humor in a clever, ironic tale about a corporate downsizer-for-hire who hits the road to fire employees when their own bosses don't have the b...., uh, wherewithal to swing the emotional ax themselves.

Those who've lost their jobs -- as thousands have, as I did -- will have no problem identifying with the agony of suddenly being faced with the realization of facing an even sadder tribunal at home.

Did I mention that "Up in the Air" is a comedy?  A damn good one, in fact.

Clooney's Ryan Bingham is a confident, proud grim reaper, and an even more confident soldier of the road.  He hates being at home, which is rare, and detests the thought of spending time with his extended family.  That's even more rare, but a niece's wedding is coming up.

The beauty of "Up in the Air" is that it rings true even in its slightly larger-than-life state.  Up-and-comer Anna Kendrick (Jessica in "Twilight Saga:  New Moon") is almost as good as Clooney as Natalie Keener, a hungry young tigress loose in the corporate world.

 

Also, Vera Farmiga (the unlucky adoptive mom in "Orphan") dazzles as Alex, a corporate road warrior who might just be the female equal of Clooney's character.

"Up in the Air" may not sound in brief description like one of the finest films of the year.

 

Trust me, though.  Emotionally, it takes off like a late-departing 747 on a short runway.

Hide the dirty laundry, Dad's at the door

Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore working through family issues.
(Miramax Films)  

Everybody's Fine

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Running time: 100 minutes

MPAA rating: R (profanity, thematic elements)

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"Everybody's Fine"

Everybody's not fine in the holiday family trauma-drama "Everybody's Fine."

From recently widowed family patriarch Frank Goode (Robert De Niro) on down to four adult children, everybody's pretty much a mess.

A remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's 1990 Italian original "Stanno Tutti Bene," the Americanized "Everybody's Fine" provides a solid tug on the heartstrings.

Director Kirk Jones, the UK native who wowed the indie film world with the jaunty dark comedy "Waking Ned Devine" in 1998, knows his way around handling American movie stars as well.  This is the best De Niro has been in years, and the same can be said for Drew Barrymore, who plays youngest daughter Rosie.

Frank, who spent his working life in a telephone wire factory, let his wife deal with the kids.  As it turns out, dear-departed Jean didn't exactly share all the news about David (Austin Lysy) the artist, Amy (Kate Beckinsale) the ad exec, Robert (Sam Rockwell) the "orchestra conductor" and Rosie (Barrymore) the Las Vegas dancer.

When all the kids cancel a family weekend visit, Frank -- against doctor's orders -- hits the road.  The idea is to surprise each of them, and show them the old man is finally ready to share valuable family time.

You may have guessed by now that everything's not going to be peachy on this journey that begins in New York, continues on to Chicago, hops over to Denver and culminates in Vegas.

De Niro, an acting legend with two Oscars on his mantel, is at that point in a long career where he could just go through the motions.  In fact, I think he phoned it in a little last year opposite Al Pacino in "Righteous Kill."

That's not the case here.  De Niro plays the constantly bewildered or disappointed ultimate empty nester with nuance and style.  The screenplay, also by director Jones, gets a little heavy-handed at times showing the adult children approach Frank as he remembers them as children.

De Niro pulls it off every time, however.  It's as if he's on a journey to reconnect with his own kids.  Of the screen "kids," Barrymore (who recently directed and appeared in the roller-skating romantic-drama "Whip It") and Rockwell ("Moon") get under the skin of their characters the best.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that "sanitized" usually accompanies "Americanized" from this aisle seat.  That's the case here, so I personally prefer the Italian original.

If you're not a fan of subtitles or, for that matter much subtlety, this holiday heart-tugger will suffice just, you know, fine.

 

Take a hankie.