Game Night

Fincheresque cinematography alludes to and elevates The Game while simultaneously sending it up and ripping it off. Plemons’ arresting performance perfectly complements his neighbors’ development while supporting cast play perfect pieces in this deliberately opaque puzzle. Constant callbacks craft a clever comedic model, nearly as perfect as the establishing shots.

Zootopia

Perfect parallel to human world with incisive social satire and powerful political points. Brilliantly bold comedy and criticism intertwine in a film that plays like the social supplement to the internal Inside Out. Cleverly avoids specificity in allegory to broadly criticize bigotry (and smallotry) rather than attacking a specific group.

The Gift

Edgerton steers both film and its family on a path to insanity.  His gift is really just a compelling role to himself, as Bateman plays an intolerable two-dimensional tool white Hall collapses and is carried around by manipulative men.  Quasi-clever final present undermines itself by confirming hate-able hero’s obnoxious opinions.

Paul

Shaun and Fuzz team up again but without Wright everything goes wrong. The jokes fall flat, the plot is convoluted, and the character’s are mostly un-sympathetic. Kristen Wiig and the animating team responsible for CGI-ET are the films only saving graces. This Pineapple Express Encounter is less super than bad.

Horrible Bosses

Two Jasons enjoy a sunny Day in Philadelphia alongside crazy Cruise-esque performances from three veteran talents. Arbitrary antics and quick dialogue feel like a happy Hangover, as does the meandering and somewhat senseless plot. Funny film but leaves viewer wanting a little more nymphoniac Anistons, Killer Kevins and Cokehead Colins.

The Invention of Lying

Gervais finds the screenwriting pot-of-gold with this brilliant high-concept premise and then tosses it in the crapper, with alarmingly unclever story. Toes line of controversy but avoids leaping into it and disappoints with a disappointingly (and literally) Deus Ex Machina conclusion. All-star comedic supporting cast cannot support this film enough.

Hancock

Superhero quasi-comedy that transforms tonally from Bad Boys to Seven Pounds. Sometimes funny humor fades out with introduction of convoluted back-plot that never gets resolved. Theron and Bateman neither hurt nor help while Smith gives best performance as occasionally annoying hobo superman. Uses inexplicable tornados to overshadow subpar flying effects.

Up in the Air

Reitman hybridizes his previous films into a flaccid pseudo-comedy that emulates American economy by being bleak and frustrating. Various celebs try to bail it out but cannot from the confines of their 30 second roles. Even Clooney runs out of fuel halfway and coasts on in a dissatisfying melancholy mess.

State of Play

Unsatisfactory remake of BBC miniseries. Added subplot features Crowe trying to protect college buddy, Affleck, from his own bad acting. Plot-based conspiracy film with passable but unremarkable performances from A-list cast and Affleck. Further marred by mediocre cinematography, likely caused by constant struggle to fit Crowe’s lion mane into frame.