A Few Good Flicks

Besides the rush of "Tron: Legacy," what else is in theaters for your holiday viewing pleasure? You have some good choices opening this week. Choose wisely.

How Do You Know?

How do you know if you’re in love? In this film, there’s lots of bad advice, but a few insights.

Reese Witherspoon is Lisa, a woman who has dedicated her life to softball and plays for the US Olympic team. She’s at the end of her career, though, aged out at 27, and wondering what will give her meaning now that her dream is behind her. Matty (Owen Wilson) plays professionally for the Washington Nationals (Yay! Go Team!)and finds himself drawn to Lisa. He likes her so much he starts to actually want her around, unlike the short flings he usually enjoys.

George (Paul Rudd) also likes Lisa, but he’s got issues. The company he runs has just been investigated by the Feds. He may be indicted any day. The one thing keeping him afloat, he tells his faithful secretary Annie (Kathryn Hahn), is the fact that he’s never done anything wrong. Perhaps his father (Jack Nicholson) has.

George is in crisis, full-blown can’t-think-clearly, your-life-will-never-be-the-same trauma. Those of us who have been there will recognize it. Lisa understands. She’s barely holding on herself. She can’t stand the well-meaning kindness of her friends as she’s trying to keep her head high and her feet moving forward. George and Lisa become a quiet refuge for each other, even as Matty starts to pursue Lisa.

The most beautiful moment in the film is between Annie and her Al. Even though he’s a 40 year old unemployed “loser,” he has one thing to offer Annie than no one else can: he gets her.

It’s a sweet, if melancholy, romantic comedy (with little comedy) which is as much about surviving life’s traumas as it is about love. I quite liked it.

Be Aware: The sexual mores of the film are very casual, although not graphically depicted. There is language. It has a PG-13, on appeal, but was originally rated R. Definitely an adult film.

The Fighter

Two half brothers from the wrong side of the tracks chase boxing glory, but one is his own worst enemy. He’s becoming the worst enemy of his half-brother as well.

Dickie Ecklund (Christian Bale) briefly brought pride to Lowell, MA, as a boxer. Now, he trains half-brother Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) for his shot. Dickie, however, doesn’t show up for events and is often tracked down at a crack house. His doting, but willfully ignorant, mother and seven sisters believe he can do no wrong, even when he repeatedly does wrong. When Mickey meets Charlene (Amy Adams), he starts to wonder if maybe his chance in life goes hand in hand with removing his family’s influence from his life.

Based on a true story of a 1980s boxer, this fantastic film is a gripping portrait of family gone wrong and gone right. Christian Bale gives a stunning performance as the charismatic but tragically wasted Dickie. Wahlberg and Adams also shine. The film will go into the canon of great sports movies. Absolutely mesmerizing, even for the ladies and non-boxing fans.

The Tempest

Shakespeare’s play about a fateful storm that changes the fates of the deposed ruler Prospero, his daughter, and the upstart king gets an update with Helen Mirren as a female Prospera.

She’s a sorceress bent on exacting revenge as well as uniting her daughter with the king’s son. The sprite Ariel is at her beck and call, as well as the human slave Caliban. In addition, various fools, ruffians, and traitors wander around Prospera’s island.

The producer makes it easy to follow the play, even if you’re not a Shakespeare scholar. The special effects make the dreaminess and magic even more real, but some of the humor does not translate well to modern ears. Nor does the concept of slavery, but Djimon Hounsou, as Caliban, manages to infuse his character with dignity.

The King’s Speech

A decent family man, who happens to be a royal, wants to serve his country. Only problem? His job is speaking words of comfort and courage, but he stutters badly.

World War II looms over England. The people need their royals to be brave, speaking words of comfort and courage. Unfortunately, the new King George VI, who becomes king after the abdication of his brother to marry a divorced woman, stutters horribly. Before his ascension, he seeks out a speech coach, one Lionel Louge (Geoffrey Rush) to help him achieve the destiny of which he desperately wants to be worthy.

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush give wonderful performances. Underneath the historical sheen, this is a story of a beautiful, if unlikely, friendship. It’s a bro-mance. King George VI, unlike his brother, is a decent man who very much wants to serve his people. The crown does not rest uneasy on his head, but only on his tongue.

It’s an excellent movie. There’s been some controversy because the film is rated R. You see, one of Lionel’s techniques to get the words flowing is to have the king swear like a sailor. It works wonderfully and is quite amusing. Other than that, the film is squeaky clean and not in the least offensive. In fact, it’s a darn good movie about a decent man doing the right thing.