An ungainly book adaptation, the kind whose awkward scene transitions and clunky story lines are in dire need of chapter headings. Flashes of the film suggest there’s a good story here, about the reconciliation of a New York City playwright (Sandra Bullock) and her boozing, Southern belle of a mother (Ellen Burstyn), but the filmmakers

This reworking of It’s a Wonderful Life, in which a Ferrari-driving bachelor (Nicolas Cage) gets to experience how much more fulfilling his life would have been if he’d started a family with his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni), has some respect for the minivan world. Unfortunately, the few moments of truth – particularly Leoni as a

Among the many absurdities of The Girl Next Door – this is, after all, about a porn star (Elisha Cuthbert) who moves into a high-schooler’s neighborhood – perhaps the most absurd is the film’s serious tone. This wants to be a touching romance, when the status of dumb teen sex comedy would be a lofty

The church at the center of The Gospel is in Atlanta, but its address might as well be on Melrose Place. This is a soap opera through and through, with church politics in place of sexual dalliances. Scattered throughout are appearances by actual gospel stars, but the genuine emotion in their performances only further emphasizes

Screenwriter Nicholas Meyer and director Robert Benton plow through this adaptation of Philip Roth’s The Human Stain – about a disgraced college professor (Anthony Hopkins) who has an affair with a troubled local woman (Nicole Kidman) – but the novel proves unmanageable. They give it staid respect when it needs cinematic invention.

Igby Goes Down is another independent feature chronicling the wayward ways of the young, restless and rich in the Big Apple. This doesn’t have much to say, as it follows 16-year-old Igby (Kieran Culkin) swearing and smoking in the usual, rebellious manner before rejecting his life of luxury in a last-minute stab at redemption.

Just what we need in today’s celebrity-crazed age: a movie that celebrate’s fame for fame’s sake. Bette Midler stars as Valley of the Dolls author Jacqueline Susann, one of the first people to help turn stardom into the new American dream. Unfortunately, Isn’t She Greatblows a congratulatory kiss to Susann for being an untalented hack