Comedy

[6] Frank Capra directs this tale of a struggling circus troupe trying to put on a show in Everytown, America, before the money dries up and the performers go their separate ways. Joe Cook plays the circus manager, a very Groucho Marx-esque personality who talks quick to outwit his prey and who can perform some pretty nifty juggling and balancing acts. Joan Peers plays the …

[4] Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn star as a mother and daughter who get kidnapped while on vacation in Ecuador. While they try to find their way to the safety of the American consulate in Bogota, they reconcile many years of estrangement. The situation itself isn’t funny, but the reactions from Schumer and Hawn are supposed to be. I love both these ladies, but they …

[3] It’s not Tim Matheson or Kate Capshaw’s fault. Really, it isn’t. Both of them are plenty attractive and charismatic to carry a film like this. The problem is that A Little Sex is a boiled-down reduction of every rom-com ever made. Matheson plays a guy who talks his long-time female buddy (Capshaw) into getting married. But since he can’t keep his wiener zipped up, …

[4] Terrence McNally adapts his play for the silver screen, with direction by Joe Mantello. Love! Valour! Compassion! is about a group of gay men who get together around the holidays at a rustic house in the middle of nowhere. Since the play was written in 1995 and the film released in 1997, AIDS eclipses anything else the story or characters might be about. (Gay …

[6] Writer Audrey Wells (Under the Tuscan Sun) and director Michael Lehmann (Heathers, Hudson Hawk) deliver a better-than-average romantic comedy about a radio show host (Janeane Garofalo) who uses her fashion model neighbor (Uma Thurman) to get to know a handsome Australian dude (Ben Chaplin) who thinks the model is the radio show host he’s falling in love with. The Truth About Cats & Dogs …

[7] Director Jay Roach and cast return, adding Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Steisand to the mix, for this sequel to Meet the Parents. In preparation for their big wedding, Ben Stiller and Teri Polo need for their parents to meet each other. We got to know her parents — Robert DeNiro and Blythe Danner — in the previous movie. The sequel brings all the characters …

[7] Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro headline this ‘comedy of errors’ flick about a male nurse seeking permission from an ex-CIA agent to take his daughter’s hand in marriage. Formula comedies usually fail or succeed on the strength of casting. To that end, Stiller and DeNiro carry Meet the Parents over the finish line. The screenplay conjures up a handful of memorable moments — including …

[5] This dopey but harmless summer camp movie helped lead the charge of ’80s teen comedies that would follow in its wake. It’s tame by comparison, but noteworthy for being the first pairing of director Ivan Reitman and actor Bill Murray, who would later bring us Stripes and Ghostbusters. Fellow frequent collaborator Harold Ramis is even one of the screenwriters here. But there’s not a …

[6] Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn star in this comedy of errors about a con artist (Hawn) who moves into an architect’s empty home and ingratiates herself into his family, his community, and his life. After the initial shock, Martin’s architect character doesn’t mind the con because Hawn’s lies have rekindled interest from an old flame (Dana Delany). Before long, the two stars are in …

[6] Elitist liberals hunt and kill redneck conservatives in this satiric take on The Most Dangerous Game. Betty Gilpin heads up the cast as our hunted protagonist (the horror genre’s ‘final girl’, if you will), while two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank leads our pack of villainous hunters. Gilpin’s droll, reticent, but kick-ass performance reminds me of an old Clint Eastwood anti-hero. We never quite know …

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