This week at the movies, we’ve got fast cars (Need For Speed, starring Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots) and supportive mothers (The Single Moms Club, starring Nia Long and Amy Smart). What do the critics have to say?
Movies based on video games don’t have a great track record, and unfortunately, the trend continues with Need for Speed; critics say that despite a couple decent action scenes, this slick action flick stalls when it comes to plotting and characterization. Aaron Paul stars as Tobey Marshall, a hotshot driver and mechanic with something to prove: he was framed in the vehicular death of a friend and served time in prison. He decides to avenge this injustice by entering a risky cross-country race against his former nemesis. The pundits say the cast is strong in underwritten roles, but on the whole, Need for Speed lacks the giddy panache to make it a ride worth taking. (Check out our video interview with Paul, as well as our gallery of the stars and cars of Need for Speed.)
As is usually the case, the latest effort from director Tyler Perry wasn’t screened for critics prior to its release in theaters. In The Single Moms Club, a disparate group of women are tasked with coming together to plan a school event after their kids get into trouble. Guess the Tomatometer!
Big Men, a documentary about an American company’s effort to drill for oil off the coast of Ghana, is at 100 percent.
Le Week-End, starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan in a drama about a feuding married couple who spend an eventful weekend in Paris, is Certified Fresh at 98 percent.
Patrick: Evil Awakens, starring Charles Dance and Rachel Griffiths in a horror film about a nurse who is terrorized by a telekinetic patient, is at 86 percent.
Teenage, a documentary about the history of youth culture, is at 83 percent.
On My Way, starring Catherine Deneuve in a dramedy about a woman who ditches her stressful life for an impulsive road trip, is at 83 percent.
Enemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Mélanie Laurent in a thriller about a history professor who meets his doppelganger, is at 79 percent (check out Gyllenhaal’s Five Favorite Films here).
Bad Words, directed by and starring Jason Bateman as a 40-something who enters a series of middle school spelling bees in order to settle an old score, is at 74 percent.
Exposed, a documentary about a new generation of burlesque performers, is at 73 percent.
Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell as the amateur gumshoe who returns to her hometown to solve the murder of a friend, is at 70 percent (check out our video interview with the stars here).
U Want Me 2 Kill Him?, a thriller based on the real life case of a teenager who stabbed his close friend, is at 57 percent.
The Cold Lands, starring Lili Taylor in a drama about a young boy who hides in the woods after his mother dies, is at 50 percent.
The Art of the Steal, starring Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon in a caper comedy about a complex art heist that goes awry, is at 48 percent.
Better Living Through Chemistry, starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Monaghan in a comedy about a small-town pharmacist caught in a love triangle, is at 29 percent.
Dark House, a horror film about a young man with telekinetic powers who inherits a mysterious dwelling, is at 20 percent.
Shirin In Love, a romantic comedy about an unhappily engaged woman who falls for an eccentric young man, is at 20 percent.
The Right Kind of Wrong, a comedy about a sad sack who falls for a married woman twice his age, is at 15 percent.
