The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Groomsmen (Bauer-Martinez)
Intermittently engaging New York drama about a writer (Edward Burns, who also directs) wrestling with anxiety over his impending marriage to his pregnant girlfriend (Brittany Murphy) during a week, leading up to the wedding, of male bonding with his groomsmen (Jay Mohr, Matthew Lillard, Donal Logue and John Leguizamo), each of whom is dealing with personal dilemmas as well. As with past Burns' films, the movie --- set in his usual working-class, Irish-Catholic milieu --- explores themes of family and friendship, love and commitment, relationships and responsibility, but while it has moments of honest emotion, the talky script lacks focus and much of the banter is banal. Pervasive rough and crude language, some profanity, an uncritical view of homosexuality, tacit approval of premarital living arrangements, several vulgar gestures, fleeting rear nudity, a scene in a strip club, and a crass scene of urination. Ratings: L, R.
Little Man (Columbia)
Imbecilic comedy about a diminutive jewel thief (Marlon Wayans) who poses as an abandoned baby and is taken in by a childless couple (Shawn Wayans and Kerry Washington), playing on their kindness to retrieve a stolen diamond which wound up in the wife's handbag during a botched heist getaway. What could have been a serviceable farce with a sentimental plug for parenthood is instead a one-joke blunder by director Keenan Ivory Wayans, full of infantile slapstick and crass sight gags that play to diminishing returns. Crude sexual and bathroom humor, an implied bedroom encounter, vulgar gestures, some comic violence and scattered rude expressions. Ratings: L, PG-13.
You, Me and Dupree (Universal)
After losing his job, home and car, the boorish best friend (Owen Wilson) of the groom moves in with the newlyweds (Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson) creating havoc until, midway through, he straightens himself out and proves himself useful. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo's uneven comedy starts out irritating and contrived, but improves as it goes along, while the leads are excellent. The vulgar comic elements (less pervasive than in most films of this type) are not entirely outweighed by the movie's humanistic tone, the characters' ultimately decent behavior, and feel-good affirmations of love, marriage and friendship. Some profanity, rough and crude language, sexual humor and innuendo, scatological humor, implied premarital kinky sex, brief rear and partial nudity, and a drug reference. Ratings: L, PG-13. Office for Film & Broadcasting classifications: A-I --- general patronage; A-II --- adults and adolescents; A-III --- adults; L --- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling; O --- morally offensive.
MPAA ratings: G --- general audiences, all ages admitted; PG --- parental guidance suggested, some material may not be suitable for children; PG-13 --- parents strongly cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13; R --- restricted, under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian; NC-17 --- no one 17 and under admitted.
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