The Big Short R
Portraying four outsiders who foresaw the housing crash of 2008, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt’s characters are treated with disdain by those they attempt to warn. Based on a critically acclaimed book by Michael Lewis, these mavericks use Wall Street’s markets to bet against banks deemed too big to fail. In order to explain the dynamics of the crash, various players speak directly to the camera. Director/Co-writer Adam McKay highlights the inherent humor of each character’s situation, while his leads embrace their roles as social misfits. (Lisa Miller)
Concussion PG-13
The always likable Will Smith plays Bennet Omalu in this “based on a true story” movie about a pathologist who helped identify a problem that should have been obvious: Head injuries in football can cause enduring health problems. His characterization is superior to the copy-and-paste, made-for-TV-style dramatization and yet the timely topic will probably outrage the NFL. Omalu, a Nigerian immigrant, pursues the truth about football’s hazards with religious fervor despite the team of on-the-take scientists sent to tackle him. He didn’t realize that in America, football is a religion and the NFL is its Vatican. (David Luhrssen)
Daddy’s Home PG-13
Will Ferrell reteams with Mark Wahlberg after their successful buddy-cop movie, The Other Guys. Ferrell plays Brad, a mild-mannered radio executive whose marriage comes with a pair of cute step-kids. Brad has a plan to win the kid’s affections and respect when Dusty, their freeloading, fun-loving dad (Wahlberg), unexpectedly reappears. Charismatic Dusty draws Brad into a competition on Dusty’s terms, sending Brad into a crisis of confidence because he’s unable to match Dusty’s macho brand of cool. Dang. It seems life lessons will be learned all around. (L.M.)
Joy PG-13
Writer-Director, David O. Russell is clearly rooting for the protagonist of Joy, finding humor, frustration and heartbreak in this Horatio Alger girls’ story of the American Dream deferred and finally achieved. Playing the title character (based on the travails of Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano), Jennifer Lawrence erases any doubt about her range. As Joy, her body language articulates fatigue and determination; her face registers despondency, anxiety, anger, kindness, love. Robert De Niro is superb as her curmudgeon dad. (D.L.)
Point Break PG-13
Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 cult favorite, starring Patrick Swayze and a pre-Speed Keanu Reeves, is remade to feature more extreme sports in the style of The Fast and Furious. Utah (Luke Bracey) is an athlete hired by the FBI to infiltrate a group of extreme sporting practitioners believed to be responsible for a series of international heists. The group’s dedication to surfing megawaves, free rock climbing and wingsuit flying is a seductive lure. The film’s death-defying stunts entertain, while its underdeveloped drama is a drain. Perhaps you can’t have your wave and ride it too. (L.M.)
