Three very diverse movies are opening in wide release today. If you’re not the target audience for at least one of them, see your doctor.
I rather enjoyed “Leatherheads,” George Clooney’s screwball comedy about the early days of pro football. An extra treat: Randy Newman, who wrote the film’s delightful old-timey musical score, appears in one scene as a barroom pianist. If he takes requests, I want him to do “Fat Man with His Kids and Dog.”
“Nim’s Island,” aimed at tweenagers (especially girls), is not especially good, nor is it especially bad. It does confirm something that should have been obvious, which is that Jodie Foster should not do slapstick comedy. My review is at Film.com.
Finally, there’s “The Ruins,” a horror flick about American tourists who encounter a threat at a Mayan temple in Mexico. It was one of Hollywood’s Shameful Secrets®, not screened until last night at 10 p.m., and even then press weren’t invited. I sneaked in with the audience, however, and can report that it’s actually not bad.
P.S. If you’re my sister Laura, happy birthday!
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