ROMANTIC COMEDY
Some movies slide by on the charm of their stars and the goodwill one feels toward the characters they play. Case in point: Just Like Heaven, an uneven romantic comedy, will amuse you if you're in a mood to be amused.
Based on a bestselling novel by Marc Levy called If Only It Were True, the movie begins by introducing Elizabeth Masterson (Witherspoon), a doctor who routinely puts in 26-hour shifts at a San Francisco hospital, leaving zero time for a social life. One night while driving over to her sister's house for a rare sororal dinner, Elizabeth has a car crash. Enter David Abbott (Ruffalo), a sad-eyed man looking for a furnished apartment. He finds one he loves, but shortly after he moves in, a ghostly yet still exceedingly bossy Elizabeth begins popping up. She insists that it's her place. "It's like a pig moved into my house," she complains, gazing at David's mountains of dirty dishes, crusty food cartons and beer cans.
Most viewers will be several steps ahead of these two in figuring out how Elizabeth and David became unwilling flatmates and where their relationship is headed. Director Mark Waters (Mean Girls) wisely keeps an ethereal Heaven moving at a brisk pace while getting appealing performances from a solid cast. Witherspoon and Ruffalo are a comfortable fit, her vinegary feistiness balanced by his innate sweetness. In a supporting role, Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder, looking way less nerdish, earns big laughs as a slacker occultist. If this guy can see into the beyond, it can't be that far away (PG-13)
Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke
DRAMA
CRITIC'S CHOICE
War, war, war: Arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Cage) sells guns to despots who make war on local rebels and neighboring countries. He also sells guns to the rebels and the bordering nations. For good measure, he's at war with himself: Orlov knows that selling weapons is wrong, but how can he stop when all that money feels so right?
Lord of War, sharply written and directed by Andrew Niccol (Gattaca), has a lot on its outraged mind. It gets a trifle preachy at times, but mostly it's a stylish, informative, sharp satire about the world arms market. Along the way to achieving his version of the American dream, Ukrainian-born Yuri conscripts his drifter brother (Jared Leto), woos a sexy model (Bridget Moynahan) and tries to keep a step ahead of a conscientious Interpol agent (Hawke).
As Yuri, Cage is all ferocious energy and cunning, while Hawke is effective as his frustrated opponent. Lord of War is that rarest of pictures, one that's actually about something and mad as hell. (R) Voices by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
ANIMATED
A gothic comic tale of love lost and found, this short (74 minutes) film codirected by Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is a puzzlement. Who's the target audience? Its story—about a considerate young Englishman (well-voiced by Depp) who finds himself mistakenly wed to a dead woman (Bonham Carter)—is too scary and weird for smallfry. And it's too brief and insubstantial for adults seeking a Saturday night at the movies. That leaves masses of fans of Burton and animation, who will be more than pleased by the film's dark humor and dazzling stop-motion technique. While more appetizer than entree, this is still a lively—and entertaining—Corpse. (PG)
Toronto Film Festival
And the most buzzed-about movies at the annual September fest are:
The Best: Brokeback Mountain. There was widespread critical approval for director Ang Lee's achingly beautiful look at a long-term love affair between two cowboys (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal). But are mainstream audiences ready for a gay home on the range?
Major Dud: Elizabethtown. Director Cameron Crowe plans to trim his Orlando Bloom/Kirsten Dunst romantic comedy before its Oct. 14 release, but it's unlikely snipping can do much to improve this unfocused jumble.
The Real Deal: There were standout performances by actors in biopics, including Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, Philip Seymour Hoffman as writer Truman Capote in Capote, and Judi Dench as English theater owner Laura Henderson in Mrs. Henderson Presents.
Girl Power: North Country, Shopgirl, In Her Shoes and a new Pride & Prejudice all spotlight strong female characters.
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