May 8, 2008

Baby Mama (Universal/Relativity)

Frequently funny but morally problematic romantic comedy about a hard-driving grocery chain executive (Tina Fey) who, incapable of bearing a child, hires an unpolished woman (Amy Poehler) to be a surrogate mother, subsequently becoming her roommate when the latter splits from her deadbeat common-law husband (Dax Shepard) while herself becoming attached to an ex-lawyer turned juice-bar owner (Greg Kinnear). Writer-director Michael McCullers' partially improvised feature debut, with a cast that also includes Sigourney Weaver and Steve Martin, abounds in comic energy but implicitly accepts current mores regarding fertility that are contrary to Catholic values. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Constantine's Sword (First Run)

Earnest but unbalanced documentary, adapted from ex-priest James Carroll's "Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews — A History," surveys the fraught history of Christian anti-Semitism, particularly as it plays out among American evangelicals today, and its roots dating back to the early days of the Roman Catholic Church, incorporating seminal episodes from his life story, including his sometimes conflicted relationship with his father, and his ultimate disillusionment with the institutional church. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

A Plumm Summer (Home Team/Fairplay)

Gentle and winning fact-based coming-of-age tale, set in 1968, in which a 13-year-old aspiring detective (Chris J. Kelly) and his girlfriend (Morgan Flynn) search their small Montana hometown for the TV puppet with whom his kid brother (Owen Pearce) is obsessed and who has made the show's host (Henry Winkler) a local star, while he also supports his mother's (Lisa Guerrero) struggles with his father's (William Baldwin) alcoholism. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Roman de Gare (Samuel Goldwyn)

Impeccably crafted suspense tale from great director Claude Lelouch in which a young woman (Audrey Dana) abandoned at a gas station after a fierce argument with her fiance accepts a lift from an ominous stranger (Dominique Pinon) who agrees to drive her to her parents' farm and pose as her fiance. Stunningly acted by all — including Fanny Ardant as a best-selling author whose story, along with that of a woman (Michele Bernier) whose husband has suddenly gone missing, eventually intersects with the main one — and cleverly written to keep you guessing right up to the end, the film is keenly observant about human nature, the creative process and love. Sporadic rough language and crude expressions, brief frank sexual dialogue and suicide. In French. Subtitles. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Then She Found Me (THINKFilm)

Fitfully engaging but mostly humdrum tale of a glum Jewish schoolteacher (Helen Hunt) who reconnects with the gregarious birth mother (Bette Midler) she never knew, and falls in love with a single father (Colin Firth) after her adopted mother dies and her husband (Matthew Broderick) walks out on her. Co-writer Hunt competently directs this adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel, and performances are solid. Nongraphic sexual encounters; some nonmarital, frank sexual talk; partial female nudity; profanity and some rough language; and artificial insemination. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.