America's Sweethearts

America's Sweethearts

Columbia etc.

July 20, 2001

Romcom

DVD
C+

I saw this at the time and thought it was all right.  This time, I was most struck by the following:

• It's so weird to have the Internet a non-factor in publicity
• The "Hector" stuff is pretty racist
• Catherine Zeta-Jones is easily the best part of the movie
• Billy Crystal co-wrote a script where his character is in a lust-hate relationship with a dog, that parallels the title characters'.

Anyway, it's still watchable but yeah, mostly as a period piece.  Joe Roth directed, five years before Freedomland.

This is on a Julia Roberts "Triple" pack, but I've already rejected Mona Lisa Smile.

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

United Artists

May 25, 1966

Comedy
DVD
D+

I'd heard of this movie for years, but the first quarter hour is kind of flat.  This is based on Nathaniel Benchley's novel The Off-Islanders, and directed by Norman Jewison.

Marley & Me

Marley & Me

Fox etc.

December 25, 2008

Dramedy
DVD
D+

I'm not a dog person and I didn't really like any of the human characters, especially Owen Wilson as an idiot.  This is based on the very popular book by John Grogan (the real-life idiot) and it set a Christmas Day box-office record.  David Frankel directed.

Love the Coopers

Love the Coopers

Lionsgate

November 13, 2015

Dramedy?
DVD
D+

Both pretentious (with the Steve Martin narration) and simplistic, like a woman literally shattered with emotion.  Jessie Nelson directed.

Get Smart

Get Smart

Warner Bros.

June 20, 2008

Action, Comedy
DVD
D

I walked out of this in the theater, maybe at a point slightly beyond the quarter hour I gave this today.  It badly misunderstands the original TV series (which was itself admittedly hit or miss), most significantly in that Max is not supposed to be clued in to his own ineptitude, and so casting Carell in the lead is a bad idea.  Also, I can see why they might not want to have 99 hero-worship Max, but they haven't found a good "modern" take on her character (played by also miscast Hathaway).  Furthermore, every joke fell flat, when it wasn't mildly offensive.  At least this time it didn't cost me any money to watch the movie. 

Peter Segal directed.