The Big Wedding R
Because their son (Topher Grace) and his fiancée (Amanda Seyfried) have lied to the bride's ultraconservative mother (Susan Sarandon), the groom's long-divorced parents (Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton) are compelled to pretend to be a happily married couple during their son's protracted wedding festivities. Written and directed by Bucket List’s Justin Zackham, one look at the hot-mess of a trailer reveals a cartoonish comedy targeting parents that go into hock to marry off their demanding children. Katherine Heigl attempts to revive her flagging career in a supporting role that does her no favors—not that she has many favors of her own to bestow on this bit of flounce. (Lisa Miller)
Mud PG-13
Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and best pal Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are Arkansas teens who agree to help a fugitive named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) in exchange for a motorboat the boys covet. The pair shuttles supplies to the island where Mud is holed up repairing his getaway craft, and they help out further by ferrying messages between Mud and his trashy girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). The lads fend off a squad of bounty hunters led by a local tough (Joe Don Baker), whose son Mud killed in fight. A carefully calibrated story fraught with tension, the film features McConaughey's tour de force performance, and allows us to connect with the hopes and dreams of the troubled boys at the center of the action. (L.M.)
Pain & Gain R
Everyone took a pay cut to film this story based on actual events. Mark Wahlberg bulked up to weigh in at 212 pounds for his portrayal of Miami Sun Gym employee Daniel Lugo. Sick of working for peanuts, Lugo recruits Sun Gym coworker Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and ex-con Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) to kidnap wealthy businessman (and gym regular) Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub). Using torture, the trio plans to coerce Kershaw into signing over his holdings before having him killed. After the Miami police fail to gather sufficient evidence against the gang, private detective Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris) steps in and the real pain begins. Long a pet project of director Michael Bay, we can only hope his comedic treatment hits the right note, or else we'll be sorry we didn't wait for the Discovery ID version. (L.M.)
Spring Movie Collectible Show
Dale Kuntz has long been Milwaukee's genial advocate of classic Hollywood. If Ted Turner had gotten wind of him, this charmingly garrulous gentleman might have been auditioned as a host on TCM, but instead he has remained a local phenomenon. He continues to book the film series at the Charles Allis Museum and coordinates a twice-yearly Hollywood collectible show with dealers from Wisconsin and Illinois selling posters, books, souvenirs, DVDs and more. (David Luhrssen)
The show will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, at Burnham Bowl, 6016 W. Burnham Ave.
