Summertime (Baby Mama, The Visitor, Smart People)

This weekend brings us Iron Man and the start of the summer blockbuster season. I plan to see Iron Man – I would watch Robert Downey Jr. read the phone book; I am sure he would perform it with excellent timing and appropriate comic irony. Also due out is Made of Honor, which seems to be a remake of a dozen other movies, only this time starring Doctor McDreamy. Early reviews say Iron Man good, Made of Honor bad.



If neither of those interest you, here are some thoughts on a few older entries still playing in theaters:

BABY MAMA
Good natured story about a career woman trying to answer the call of her biological clock. The plot line is predictable but the talented cast makes the well trodden material mostly entertaining. Steve Martin and Sigourney Weaver are particularly good in wacky supporting roles. It’s beyond me how this film won the weekend box office derby, but I can happily cheer for Tina Fey and Any Poehler; hopefully this will give them the clout to do something a little riskier next time.

THE VISITOR
The interesting thing about this film is that just when you think you know where it’s going – at the moment when you’re expecting, say, a moving montage of character growth – the story takes an abrupt turn, and all your assumptions fly out the window. Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) is a lonely widower who is pulled from his sadness and mourning by Tarek Khalil (Haaz Sleiman), an upbeat young Syrian living in New York City. Tarek teaches Walter to play the African drum, but just as their odd couple alliance appears to be jelling, the young man is detained by Immigration, and roles shift as Walter becomes the advocate for his young teacher. The film trips lightly along the political questions raised by post 9/11 immigration policy, focusing on the personal aspects of the story. The ending is inconclusive, and this may be troubling, but it is believable and satisfying in a sad sort of way.

SMART PEOPLE
There are really no completely likeable characters in this film, although Dennis Quaid has a remarkable ability to charm even when he’s playing a dull curmudgeon, and even, it must be said, when he has been made up to look frumpy. Sorry, female Quaid fans, I only speak truth. Tension between characters is the norm here, although it often goes unexplained, and there are key scenes that seem wildly improbable. Nevertheless, the film has its moments: Thomas Hayden Church provides much needed comic relief, and Ellen Page is very entertaining, although she is really just playing a harsher, smarter, Juno. Nothing wrong with that, though, and it is the performances that make this picture worth giving up a couple hours to spend time in the dark – if you aren’t having a very busy day.