Joe Williams

To their credit, the creative team has retained the handmade look and unruly spirit of Maurice Sendak's bedtime fable; to their discredit, they haven't added enough narrative or emotional dimension to make it an effective movie.

There's little that's new in the retelling, except mellowed musings on Environmentalism 2.0.

Here’s a toast to the cast and crew: Drinking Buddies is a three-dimensional movie that doesn’t require beer goggles.

A brainy bio that exerts a gravitational pull on the heartstrings.

It’s preposterous schlock masquerading as art.

The wrinkles between reality and illusion soon become irritating.

Turturro, who previously directed a musical called "Romance and Cigarettes," lingers on the sensual movements of the performers and the character faces of the onlookers.