Couples Retreat

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Four couples decide to go on vacation together and find out that if they want to do any of the fun stuff the resort has to offer, they will have to go through an eccentric couples counseling course.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Kristin Davis, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk, Tasha Smith, Jean Reno, John Michael Higgins, Ken Jeong, Carlos Ponce, Peter Serafinowicz, Colin Baiocchi, Gattlin Griffith

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This easily digestible examination of being in a long term relationship will be relatable to anyone who's old enough to have tried it, but you probably won't gain any new insights into the matter.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: You will smile more than laugh. And considering the cast's pedigree, that may play as a disappointment to some of you.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: With all the love bouncing around this story, it would have been nice to see it pull a little harder at our heart strings.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most likely to turn people off yoga... Or, in some cases, onto it.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jon Favreau's energy is something to marvel at, and Sex and the City's Kristin Davis, playing his wife, makes you completely forget about Charlotte. But it's newcomer Colin Baiocchi (4 years old) who steals the most scenes. He's almost like a next generation Peter Billingsley.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: And speaking of Peter Billingsley, that kid is going places... Then again, how can you go wrong when you're working with a giant handful of the most talented comedic actors of our time, and filming on location in beautiful Bora-Bora. I could have just stared at the scenery for two hours and felt fulfilled.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It does a nice job of depicting the various different types of real relationships and real relationship problems that can exist, but often times, right when I started to be interested in where a scene was going, they would cut away to something else. In some cases the jumping around adds to the comedy and the drama. But, other times, I wanted to know what would happen next-- and we'd never cut back to find out. This is especially true in the therapy sessions.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/couples-retreat/36112/trailers

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He's Just Not That Into You

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Dating sucks, and the long term relationships that it leads to are even worse.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Busy Philipps, Drew Barrymore, Sasha Alexander, Brooke Bloom, Hedy Burress, Wilson Cruz, Kris Kristofferson

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie is cute in exactly the way you'd expect it to be, but it's not particularly romantic. Probably because it attempts to uncover the realities of dating, rather than rehash the usual romantic movie fantasies that we all know and love, which ultimately, are the culprits in creating our misguided dreams of fairy-tale romance. You know, the ones that lead us to being constantly disappointed in real life.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's got enough laughs to not be a disgrace to its genre, like some of the movies that call themselves romantic-"Comedies."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It could be a bit of an embarrassment to its genre, after all. It is supposed to be a "Romantic"-comedy.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Film based on a book that's based on an episode of a TV show. The competition was nobody.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Of the entire ensemble, nobody really stands out or stretches outside of their comfort zone. But Ginnifer Goodwin, the least famous of the bunch, is actually the star of the film both in screen time and in her ability to be complex, quirky, and interesting.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Interchangeable, inoffensive and unremarkable. The simple shots and standard coverage will play very well on the small screen. Which is a very good thing, since this film will likely do most of its business on DVD.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Ensemble movies are tough, but the writers do succeed at keeping all the stories compelling and interconnected-- in some cases a little too conveniently. The tone is consistently light-hearted, even when certain people's words (the men's) are harsh. And even some of the saddest moments get laughs. But when you're trying to expose the realities of dating, happy endings are both hard to come by and hard to buy.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: If they were going to have an all white cast, why did they place the movie in Baltimore, Maryland, which is 80% Black? They really could have told this story anywhere... Or cast a few Black people. Take your pick.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hes-just-not-that-into-you/29704/trailers

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Ghost Town

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Due to a mishap during a colon operation, dentist Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) dies for 7 minutes. Now he can see dead people, and they all want his help resolving their unfinished business, so they can cross over.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell, Aasif Mandvi, Kristen Wiig, Alan Ruck, Dana Ivey, Bridget Moloney, Michael-Leon Wooley

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Even though it's exactly what you'd expect it to be, and you've probably seen something like it before, you will leave the theater smiling. And that's just generally good for all the people who have to look at you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's starring Ricky Gervais... Of course it will!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Could do...

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: No, but some people in my theater applauded at the end. Which was surprising, because usually people only clap at the end of pretentious movies... Of course, the clappers soon got embarrassed, and stopped. After which several other people laughed at them. But secretly, I'm pretty sure they wanted to clap, too.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Ricky Gervais is delightful as a "MILH"-- Misanthrope I'd Like to Hug. Nobody can play a hatable jerk in more lovable manner. And Tea Leoni is one of the most talented and underused comedy actresses in Hollywood. Please go see her funny movies, so they'll give her more of 'em.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There are a couple of moments in the middle of the second act that could be tightened to keep the pace rolling. But considering he's never directed a comedy before, David Koepp does a decent job of making sure all the laughs are on the screen. And that's a skill that sounds easier than it is.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The setup has a giant "buy," where you are forced to accept that Gervais' character will talk to Greg Kinnear but not to any of the other dead people. The only justifiable reason for this seems to be that Greg Kinnear is the famous guy with the lead role. But if you can overlook that little hiccup, the script goes on to skillfully walk a fine line of on-going double-entendres, which make Gervais' regularly insensitive comments come off as charmingly funny to Tea Leoni's character-- and you totally buy that she would hear the humor in them rather than the bitter place they're actually coming from. This especially difficult task is accomplished not once, but in several long sequence. They were lucky they got Ricky Gervais, or it might not have worked out so well for them.

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