Due Date (R)
It’s birth and death in this road-show romp that partners two opposites: the urbane, tightly-wired, frantic Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), who is trying to get home in time for his first child’s birth, and the annoying, slovenly nerd Ethan (Zach Galifianakis), who looks for a place to scatter his recently departed father’s ashes. After winding up on a no-fly list, the mismatched two rent a car to drive cross-country, and it’s one calamity after another. But just when you’re starting to get annoyed, sympathies develop.
Morning Glory (PG-13)
It’s comic battle of style versus substance when idealistic, hyperactive young television producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) takes on the task of resuscitating “Daybreak,” a dying morning news show. With the two aging, cranky and bickering co-hosts (Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton), it’s a combination of the 1987 “Broadcast News” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” that adds up to what would make a great TV sitcom. With Jeff Goldblum, Matt Malloy, Patrick Wilson. Written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who wrote “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Megamind (PG)
It’s a good guy-bad guy role reversal in this smart DreamWorks animation. The evil Megamind (Will Ferrell), always bested by the caped hero Metro Man (Brad Pitt), finds himself having to defend rather than destroy Metro City. Tina Fey is Roxanne, the sexy TV reporter who gets involved when a disgruntled cameraman (Jonah Hill), plots destruction.
Secretariat (PG)
Predictable, but wonderfully polished. Diane Lane is the winner in her portrayal of Penny Chenery, the poised, confident, subtly nuanced housewife who battles gender discrimination to take over her father’s (Scott Glenn) thoroughbred farm, and discovers a champion. Clichés are avoided, and the last half-hour is devoted to the thundering, suspenseful Triple Crown races. With John Malkovich, Nelsan Ellis, Dylan Baker, Dylan Walsh, and a score of old standards.
The Social Network (PG-13)
Compelling film written by Aaron Sorkin about Harvard students Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) who created Facebook in 2003. Justin Timberlake is perfect as Sean Parker, the flash-and-dash Napster creator who burrows in on Zuckerberg’s success.
Red (PG-13)
An acronym for Retired Extremely Dangerous, this movie is the AARP version of a slam-bam action flick. Retired CIA agents, framed for an assassination, break into a secret CIA headquarters to stop a plot to destroy the government. It’s a blast — with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Richard Dreyfuss.
