Here to take a look at the films coming out in wide and limited release this coming weekend. I’ll give you my thoughts to help you decide what’s worth checking out.
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – Toula returns to contend with her crazy Greek family while working on her marriage and raising her teenage daughter.
Directed by Kirk Jones (What to Expect When You’re Expecting)
Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was such a big comedy when it came out. Even though it’s goofy and plays on a lot of stereotypes it seems to be doing so in a loving way and features a different type of rom-com protagonist than usual. Certain jokes like the use of windex were pretty well known after it came out. While I think it’s still a pleasant diversion this sequel does feel pretty unnecessary except that is was so incredibly popular. On a $5 million budget (and distributed by IFC!) it made over $300 back and earned a Original Screenplay Oscar nom, a return I’m sure no one would expect from such a niche concept. I can see why studios and Nia Vardalos would want to capitalize on that sort of success. What makes it a shame is how poorly it’s been received so far. While the first movie settled at a respectable 76% on RT, this sequel is hovering at 27%. It remains to be seen if this can muster even half as great of a box office return as the first, but it doesn’t seem like a must see to me. - Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – Batman takes on Superman after the destruction caused in Man of Steel.
Directed by Zack Snyder (Man of Steel, Sucker Punch)
Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot
Man of Steel came and went without ever giving me a reason to seek it out. Most people seemed pretty lukewarm on it, few were big fans and many disliked it. Not a shining endorsement. It seemed like WB realized another Superman movie wasn’t the best way to go so they rushed Batman into the mix to create more of an appeal. I just have not been able to feel any sort of way about this movie. I’m not against it, but I have no fire to see it either. All the bad reviews so far are making me really curious, but that’s how I felt with the new Fantastic Four movie and I still haven’t made an effort to see how bad that could actually be. We have a nicer review on the site by Nate & Nick than most other critics though, and I think if you don’t go in hoping for a Marvel or Nolan-level superhero movie maybe it could be fun enough to deserve a watch. I’m at least really interested to see Eisenberg and Gal Gadot take on their roles.
- I Saw the Light – Musical biopic about the country singer Hank Williams.
Directed by Marc Abraham (Flash of Genius)
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olson, Bradley Whitford
Overall, a pretty weak weekend at the movies. The most notable limited release apparently isn’t all that noteworthy. Despite the novelty of Hiddleston playing the part of an iconic American singer, it doesn’t all come together to anything as well done as say, Walk the Line. It’s really easy to draw comparison between the two films considering the musician’s work and personal lives and it must not do any favors for I Saw the Light for Walk the Line to be so well-liked.
