This week at the movies: time travel, cross-country running, and mean girls (and boys).
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
The gang’s all here for the sequel to the sleeper slapstick hit about a hot tub time machine. This time, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Adam Scott, and Clark Duke travel to the future, where they discover that things aren’t as perfect as they’d hoped. Of course, as with all time travel stories, they try and pinpoint the moment when it all goes awry and travel back to other decades for our amusement.
Perfect For: Fans of the last movie and slapstick humor.
What the Critics Say: Sadly, not as good as the first installment, and since the original wasn’t exactly a work of art…. Writes the New York Post: “The smart plotting of the first film is completely gone; this time the script barely bothers with the central mystery, preferring to lurch from one unfunny set piece to another.”
Our Take: Only for the die-hard fans.
Watch the Trailer:
McFarland USA
This Disney movie stars Kevin Costner as a high school running coach in a small town who takes a group of Mexican kids who aren’t trained runners and coaches them to victory over the privileged and preppy rich kids. Supposedly based on a true story.
Perfect For: Fans of TV movies of the week.
What the Critics Say: Shockingly well-made if predictable. Chicago Tribune: “A less talented and more shameless director might've turned it into cornmeal mush, but Niki Caro ("Whale Rider") has delivered unto the Disney corporation a Kevin Costner sports movie that works.”
Our Take: If you like sports underdog movies and/or Kevin Costner, go.
Watch the Trailer:
The Duff
Mae Whitman stars as the Designated Ugly Fat Friend–i.e. the less pretty girl that really popular girls hang out with to make themselves look better in the cruel world of high school. Coached by a hot but brutally honest jock (Robbie Amell) into how to un-Duff herself and get the guy, Whitman gets revenge against the school’s perfect princess.
Perfect For: Fans of Mean Girls and other flicks set in high school.
What the Critics Say: Predictable, but everyone thinks Whitman gets an A. Writes Entertainment Weekly: “The DUFF won't stay with you far past its runtime. But as a vehicle, it's ample proof that we should be seeing more of Mae Whitman.”
Our Take: Though we find the premise grossly sexist (a woman’s value is based only how attractive she is, and she must conform to the idea what is pretty), Whitman looks pretty funny.
Watch the Trailer:
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