BY LEAH ROZEN
SUSPENSE
Seeking to downplay any rumpus over the religious content of The Da Vinci Code, star Hanks recently told an interviewer that the movie is "loaded with all sorts of hooey." He called that one right.
At times confusing and never compelling, this relatively faithful film adaptation of author Dan Brown's megaselling 2003 novel mostly makes you want to see Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings in person. Code, directed by Ron Howard (Cinderella Man), begins with a murder in Paris's Louvre art museum. Robert Langdon (Hanks), a visiting American academic, is falsely suspected. His quest to find the real killer involves deciphering clues in (and behind) various Da Vinci masterpieces, flitting among famous monuments and churches in Paris, London and beyond and eventually uncovering a big religious secret that powerful forces don't want known.
Code is just this side of being an overstuffed turkey. There's so much plot to be covered and explaining of the finer points of supposed religious history that character development and humor drop by the wayside. The film is a long (149 minutes), jumbled rush to an ending that (1) can be seen a mile away and (2) is a howler. Hanks, sporting flowing locks that would do Oscar Wilde proud, mostly must figure things out at the right moment to keep the story moving. McKellen, as an eccentric scholar, has fun chewing scenery, and his scenes with Hanks are Code's liveliest. Bettany, as a murderous monk, simply looks pained (apt, given his bent for self-flagellation), while Tautou, playing a cop aiding Langdon, is strictly decorative. (PG-13) [1.5 stars]
Gael García Bernal, William Hurt
DRAMA
García Bernal is an actor who's always fascinating to watch, even in a muddled movie like this dark drama. Compact, lithe and with melting eyes that expressively reflect his emotions, he holds your interest no matter how improbable the onscreen carryings-on. In The King, he plays a troubled 21-year-old named Elvis Valderez who, newly discharged from the Navy, heads to Corpus Christi, Texas, to find the father (Hurt) he never knew. When the man, now a pastor with a family, tells Elvis to scram, the son sets out to destroy Dad and all he holds dear. With references to everything from religion to Elvis Presley, King offers a lot to chew on, but it's more gristle than meat. (R)
[2 stars]
With voices by Bruce Willis, Gary Shandling, Wanda Sykes, Steve Carell
ANIMATED
The heck with Mission: Impossible III and Poseidon. This summer's real action heroes are to be found in Over the Hedge, an irresistible comedy that will delight both kids and adults. So what if Mission's Tom Cruise dangled by rope in midair and Poseidon's Josh Lucas swam through flaming wreckage? The courageous crew of forest creatures that populate this animated treat must make their way across that most dangerous of obstacle courses, the suburban lawn. Sprinklers have never seemed so scary.
Based on a comic strip by Michael Fry and T Lewis, Over the Hedge is both smart and smart-alecky, a winning combo. A manipulative raccoon named RJ (Willis), making like the Devil offering an apple to Eve, proffers nacho cheese-flavored chips to animal friends, including a turtle, a skunk and a squirrel. One taste—they've been existing on foraged berries and twigs—and they're goners. They will risk their lives to follow RJ, who has a secret ulterior motive, over the hedge, across lawns and into newly built suburban palaces to get more. "You haven't even tried doughnuts yet," says RJ.
The film has a shiny, purposeful look and the main characters are all charmers. The voice work is spot-on, with Sykes deserving a special shout-out for her belligerent skunk. (PG)
[3 stars]
Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine
ROMANTIC COMEDY
Lohan has reached an awkward age for a movie star. She's 19: not quite grown up yet fast edging out of her teens. Just My Luck, a labored comedy tailored to showcase the ample comic skills Lohan displayed in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls, simply ignores the problem. Her character's age is never specified, though it would seem she's somewhere in her early to mid-20s.
Luck is essentially an updated Doris Day movie—and just as chaste. Ashley Albright (Lohan) lives on her own in a fantabulous Fifth Avenue apartment in Manhattan, presumably paying for it with her salary as a lowly assistant at a ritzy P.R. firm. All her life she has been preternaturally lucky, that is until she kisses a handsome stranger (Pine) and—presto change-o—he suddenly becomes Mr. Lucky and she turns into Little Miss Misfortune. Her mission: to find him and kiss him, thereby regaining her luck.
It's a cardboard-thin plot boasting no real laughs. Lohan is trying her hardest to be wacky and the strain shows. Hers are mighty slight shoulders upon which to dump the entire weight of a movie. (PG-13)
[1.5 stars]
>Famke Janssen
She was plenty scary as a sociopathic transsexual on Nip/Tuck. Now Janssen, 41, transforms from mild mutant Jean Grey to fiery Dark Phoenix in X-Men: The Last Stand, out May 26.
WHY SHE'S NO ACTION HERO I never had to do stunts for these films. My character has cerebral powers. In this one, she can destroy universes by lifting a finger. Any special effects that happen to me are done with CGI after the fact. I never had to endure anything but a wig on my head.
HER JUICIEST BAD-GIRL ROLE Ava [on Nip/Tuck] was probably more enjoyable. There was something very wicked about her and she really enjoyed it. Jean Grey/Phoenix is much more tormented. There were a lot of difficult emotional scenes. Not as fun.
HER ODDEST HOBBY I make dog clothes. The outfits are skater inspired. They're hoodies that have patches of skulls or spitfires. They're exclusive to [my Boston terrier] Licorice.
FUTURE MUTATIONS When I'm an old, wrinkled woman I would love to write novels. And I love the idea of dancing, whether it's a movie, Broadway or whatever. Anywhere but a reality show.
>SOMETHING NEW ($29.98) This engaging romantic comedy about an interracial romance is exactly the kind of smaller movie worth discovering on DVD. The likable cast includes Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker. Extras: Dating dos and don'ts from the cast and a routine making-of short. Movie: [2.5 stars] Extras: [2 stars]
TRANSAMERICA ($28.95) Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman is funny and poignant as a transsexual in an appealing road-trip comedy. Extras: Cast interviews, bloopers and informative commentary by director-writer Duncan Tucker, who even explains the mechanics of Huffman's prosthetic parts. Movie: [3 stars] Extras: [3 stars]
>Chris Pine
Pine, 25, is a pro at playing Prince Charming. The son of CHiPs costar Robert Pine, he romanced Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 2 and now stars with Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck.
ON SMOOCHING LINDSAY LOHAN She's a great kisser. At the beginning I thought, "Do you do tongue in the movies?" I didn't know so I stayed strictly PG-13.
ON LUCKING INTO ACTING In college I was a total nerd and super shy. My buddy was big in the theater department and he invited me to try it. I never had any romantic visions of acting. I've seen it when it's really good and when there's no money.
ON THE TOUGH LIFE OF A PRETTY BOY Friends tease me all the time. It's mostly for my hair. They'll say, "Your head's getting bigger!" Anything they can think of to make me feel like a schmuck. Or if I ever have a hard day, there's a lot of, "Oh, poor Chris—you had to kiss Lindsay Lohan. You had to kiss Anne Hathaway. Awww."
ON CHANGING HIS IMAGE I just played a neo-Nazi assassin [in Smokin' Aces]. I had a shaved head and blacked-out teeth. I killed Ben Affleck and did a ventriloquism act with his mouth. It was awesome.
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