Holiday Movie Scorecard 2016

Critics Consensus: While far from the worst holiday dramedy audiences could hope for, Almost Christmas isn't distinctive enough to prompt a visit to the theater -- or annual yuletide viewings.

Synopsis: Walter Meyer (Danny Glover) is a retired mechanic who lost the love of his life one year earlier. Now that the holiday season is here,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, Mo'Nique, Kimberly Elise

Directed By: David E. Talbert

Critics Consensus: With Rules Don't Apply, Warren Beatty takes an overall affable -- but undeniably slight -- look at a corner of old Hollywood under Howard Hughes' distinctive shadow.

Synopsis: Small-town beauty queen and devout Baptist Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Warren Beatty, Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Annette Bening

Directed By: Warren Beatty

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Relationship expert Matthew Taylor (Shemar Moore) is on a book tour promoting his bestseller "The Bounce Back" when he meets talk show circuit therapist Kristin... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shemar Moore, Nadine Velazquez, Sheryl Underwood, Kali Hawk

Directed By: Youssef Delara

Critics Consensus: Allied has its moments, but doesn't quite achieve epic wartime romance status -- a disappointment made more profound by the dazzling talent assembled on either side of the camera.

Synopsis: Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) and Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) are World War II operatives who never reveal their true identities. After falling in love during... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Simon McBurney

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

Critics Consensus: Miss Sloane sits squarely on the shoulders of Jessica Chastain's performance -- and she responds with awards-worthy work that single-handedly elevates the film.

Synopsis: Willing to bend the rules for her clients, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) remains one of the most sought-after lobbyists in Washington, D.C. When asked to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alison Pill

Directed By: John Madden

Critics Consensus: Sing delivers colorfully animated, cheerfully undemanding entertainment with a solid voice cast and a warm-hearted -- albeit familiar -- storyline that lives up to its title.

Synopsis: Dapper Koala Buster Moon presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. An eternal optimist, and a bit of a scoundrel, he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson

Directed By: Garth Jennings

Critics Consensus: Bleed for This rises on the strength of Miles Teller's starring performance to deliver a solid fact-based boxing drama that takes a few genre clichés on the chin but keeps on coming.

Synopsis: Vinny "The Pazmanian Devil" Pazienza (Miles Teller), a local Providence boxer, shoots to stardom after winning two world title fights. After a near-fatal car accident... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds

Directed By: Ben Younger

Critics Consensus: Well-acted and lovely to look at, Nocturnal Animals further underscores writer-director Tom Ford's distinctive visual and narrative skill.

Synopsis: A successful Los Angeles art-gallery owner's idyllic life is marred by the constant traveling of her handsome second husband. While he is away, she is... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Directed By: Tom Ford

Critics Consensus: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them draws on Harry Potter's rich mythology to deliver a spinoff that dazzles with franchise-building magic all its own.

Synopsis: The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol

Directed By: David Yates

Critics Consensus: Trolls brings its instantly recognizable characters to the big screen in a colorful adventure that, while geared toward the younger set, isn't without rewards for parents.

Synopsis: After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious, curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) set off on a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Russell Brand

Directed By: Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn