A long-awaited adaptation of a Stephen King classic arrives, along with romantic comedy, a visit to New York's Hassidic Jewish community and another trip with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
The contributions of Native Americans to American popular music get a scattered, sporadically interesting and name-dropping treatment in the documentary
Rumble. The cultural specificity of
Menashe—about a Hassidic widower fighting for custody of his son—carries it only so far in an otherwise formulaic story.
MaryAnn Johanson scoffs at the notion that single mom Reese Witherspoon having a young boyfriend is more improbable than inviting three random guys to babysit her kids in the rom-com
Home Again (pictured).
In this week's feature reviews, the improvised banter of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in
The Trip to Spain works best when there's no attempt to shape it into an actual movie; and
It delivers a scary half-a-movie version of the epic Stephen King novel.
Also opening this week, but not screened for press, are two Sept. 11-themed movies: the ensemble drama
9/11, set in a World Trade Center elevator; and the documentary story of real-life hero Welles Crowther in
Man in Red Bandana.