I have been to many a Fun Mom Dinner in my life. I’m usually the ones who plans them, actually. So I am exactly the target audience for the raunchy, R-rated comedy “Fun Mom Dinner.” Unfortunately, it’s got moms and dinner but not much fun. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the...
Read more
Reviews
RogerEbert.com — Person to Person
Various characters populate “Person to Person,” but they rarely register as actual people. And while some of their storylines intersect throughout the course of a day in New York, they rarely connect in ways that have actual meaning. My RogerEbert.com review of this shaggy, meandering dramedy. Read the review...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
You’ll never know how good the first three “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies were until you’re forced to see the fourth one. And I say this as someone who has seen all the movies — and read all the books — with my 7-year-old son. We’re both fans of...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Snatched
“Snatched” is the highest of high-concept comedies. Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer star as a polar-opposite mother and daughter who get kidnapped while reluctantly vacationing together in Ecuador. It’s a mismatched-buddy comedy. It’s a fish-out-of-water comedy. It’s a raucous girl-power comedy. But it’s not much more than a concept. My...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
How you feel about Norman the character will determine how you feel about “Norman” the movie. Is he a shameless hustler? Or merely an overbearing yet well-intentioned mensch? And yet, in Richard Gere’s deft, veteran hands, would-be fixer Norman Oppenheimer is consistently, completely fascinating. It’s one of the best performances...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Carrie Pilby
As the title character — a 19-year-old woman who’s brilliant beyond her years and miserable — Bel Powley is so enormously compelling that she breathes life into Carrie’s quirks and the story’s contrivances. It’s clear that the women behind the scenes have great affection for Carrie in all her self-sabotaging...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — T2 Trainspotting
If you loved “Trainspotting,” well … here it is again. Danny Boyle’s sequel to his generation-defining 1996 film offers more of the same, for better and for worse. An opportunity to wallow in grimy nostalgia seems to be its sole purpose. It’s got all of the director’s visual verve, but...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Why Him?
Bryan Cranston and James Franco are stuck in one-note roles as an uptight father and his wild, would-be son-in-law, respectively, in this raunchy, R-rated comedy. Meanwhile, the young woman at the center of their squabble, a Stanford University senior played by Zoey Deutch, doesn’t seem to have much agency in...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Moana
The latest musical extravaganza from Walt Disney Animation Studios follows the adventures of a young woman who finds her own voice and forges her own identity as she becomes the first female leader of her people. It’s a complete blast with a great message. But for all its thrills, laughs...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The Edge of Seventeen
“The Edge of Seventeen” is a strong successor to John Hughes’ legacy with its mix of biting humor and bittersweet heart. But writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig also dares to go to places that are darker and truer in her feature filmmaking debut. Hailee Steinfeld is just radiant as a high...
Read more