1. Little Fockers (Universal, 3,536 Theaters, 98 Minutes, Rated PG-13): So, I feel this has to be the last of this series. I mean, I thought that the last one would have been the last one. After all, the first one was Ben Stiller trying to ingratiate himself with his conservative soon-to-be father-in-law Robert DeNiro. The second one stretches the concept by introducing Stiller’s hippie parents for the ultra-conservative DeNiro to bounce off of.
This one appears to be a return to first one, as Stiller’s character once again must prove himself to DeNiro. Well, gosh darn it, if that’s the case then why don’t we just rent the first one? Granted, that one doesn’t have Jessica Alba in it, but it would be cheaper than taking the family out to the cineplex.
Of course, the other film opening today isn’t all that much more original.
2. True Grit (Paramount, 3,000 Theaters, 110 Minutes, Rated PG-13): The Coen Brothers are cinematic geniuses who even when they are bad are better than most of the films put out by other filmmakers. The cast is strewn with Oscar caliber actors, many of whom who have worked with the Coens before–including last years Best Actor Jeff Bridges. The only thing keeping this film from being a grand slam homerun is the fact that it should have never been made in the first place.
The original True Grit was pretty much perfect the way it is. John Wayne pretty much was all you would ever need as Rooster Cogburn (And won an Oscar for the role). The film itself is an example of Old Hollywood shaking hands with New Hollywood and realizing they have a lot in common. It is a great movie that is still relevant today as it was back in 1969.
And when lines of dialogue from the original pop up verbatim in the ads for this one, you ask “what’s the point?” But I guess everybody always says that about every remake.
Both films have casts that the Academy has honored with nods in the past, but if any of the wide release films has a shot come Oscar time, it would be True Grit.
In limited release, we have Country Strong (Sony/Screen Gems, 2 Theaters, PG-13). This seems to maybe having a little Oscar buzz around it, perhaps because of its kind of being a distaff version of last year’s Crazy Heart. But the buzz will probably only go as far as Gwyneth Palrow, whose performance is most noted as being Oscar worthy.
