danieljfarthing

After slumping with upper-crust "Millers In Marriage" indie-king writer / director Edward Burns returns to his blue-collar NY Irish-American heartland in the richest, warmest way with "The Family McMullen" (sequel to his 1995 "The Brothers McMullen"). Central again, everyman Burns subconciously binds his family as his daughter & brother (Halston Sage & Michael McGlone - both terrific) suffer break-ups, and son Pico Alexander has his first love (with Juliana Canfield) - while the likes of Connie Britton, Brian d'Arcy James, & Tracee Ellis Ross float in & out. Burns has his flaws but his whole admirable career may have been building to this one. It's archetypal him - quietly magnificent.

Tho Michael Showalter directs festive dramedy "Oh What Fun" with enough warmth & feel to convey the magic of Christmas, his whiny screenplay (co-written with first-timer Chandler Baker) full of dislikeable characters still drags it down. Wealthy mum Michelle Pfeiffer feels under-appreciated by hubbie Denis Leary and kids Felicity Jones (married to Jason Schwartzman), Chloë Grace Moretz, & Dominic Sessa - but they're all too dumb and/or wrapped up in themselves to notice... til she takes off (after wantonly shop-lifting!) on Christmas Eve across country to see her tv idol Eva Longoria. Celebrating mums at Cristmas is noble... but despite its nice touches this film does it too negatively.

Those who like twee, undemanding telly-tective tv shows should enjoy 2014's same-name movie spin-off of "Veronica Mars" with the titular once-teen detective Kristen Bell (charming) dodging Jamie Lee Curtis' swish NY job to return to her small California home-town with its characters like her dad Enrico Colanto, ditzy friends Krysten Ritter & Ryan Hansen, and ex-bf Jason Dohring (meh) who's accused of murdering his current gf... which Bell probes of course. It's tv-standard (being the only actual movie Rob Thomas' directed) and is written accordingly by Thomas & Diane Ruggiero (as the only actual movie she's written). It is what it is, relaxing, unpretentious fluff for those yearning it.