Steve Simels

The fact that this is somebody's real-life story up on there the screen doesn't necessarily guarantee it's an especially fresh story.

For every inspired bit -- Templeton playing chauffeur to 40 I Love Lucy-era Lucille Ball impersonators -- there's one that falls spectacularly flat.

An often spectacular but ultimately rather tedious musical/adventure/comedy.

It takes perverse genius to make an action film this stupid.

The film's center will not hold. Either crucial scenes were cut (perhaps for length) or Kapur has a problematic sense of narrative structure; sometimes it's unclear who's doing what to whom.

Charming, low-key ensemble comedy that recalls the films of both John Cassavetes and Woody Allen, which is to say it's a loosely structured, quasi-improvisational saga about a bunch of New Yorkers obsessing about relationships.

Not only one of the most spectacular cartoons ever made, but also a reasonably adult piece of sci-fi.

This mix of sweat and uplift in the Civil Rights era doesn't quite come off, despite some strong performances and the fact that it's based on a genuinely inspirational true story.

You have to have a certain affection for any movie in which a stressed-out Mother Nature announces ominously, "Don't mess with me -- I'm pre-El Niño."

Fans of cheesy '70s TV shows will also be pleased by Wonder Woman Lynda Carter's brief cameo appearance as the governor of Vermont.

Something of a cop-out, lacking the courage of its convictions.

Along the way, director Brian Robbins indulges Reeves in too many laughable inspirational speeches. He also wastes the terrific Diane Lane in the thankless role of the kids' dedicated teacher.

A wildly overblown, unpleasantly smirky mess of a film.

A harmless, if ultimately inane, fantasy-comedy vehicle for youngsta-rapper Lil' Bow Wow, a 15-year-old who's already an alarmingly accomplished scene stealer.

A smartly stylized hoot.

To say that the film is unenjoyable would be an overstatement; a good time can be had counting the number of reassuringly stock characters it offers up.

Manipulative but fitfully entertaining "Twilight Zone"-ish comedy of redemption.

The plot is Kate-Moss thin. Basically agreeable stuff, but not much more. And that's a shame.

Added bonuses: A nice selection of oldies on the soundtrack, and an amusing third-act cameo by Rosie Perez as Ray's second wife.

The cast is aces, and Peter Morgan's screenplay is both very sharp on male sexual politics and crammed with enough comic twists and turns to keep you interested.

William Shatner's comic timing helps him nearly steal the picture.

The picture is nearly stolen, however, by co-star Greg Germann (of TV's Ally McBeal) in the role of Joe's company's resident corporate weasel. Germann's squinty-eyed insincerity is truly a marvel to behold, and it's an astringent corrective to the film's rather too frequent feel-good passages.

A delightful surprise, a tightly written, savvy slapstick comedy with genuine heart.

A likeable, if somewhat whitebread, farce in the Woody Allen mode about love in the big city.

Unfortunately the whole thing is less than the sum of its parts, despite a frequently droll script and a great performance from Shandling.

A shamelessly derivative, if basically likeable, kid's picture.

Your ability to overlook the film's myriad contrivances will ultimately depend on how you react to little De Roma.

A very funny superhero spoof.