Here's the Deal

BRIDE WARS

Okay, here’s the deal. I wouldn’t exactly say that “Bride Wars” is a masterpiece, but it is probably the best of 2009 so far… of course, the only other releases so far is a terrible relationship movie and one that wasn’t screened for critics.

Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway play best friends whose weddings are accidentally booked on the same day. They fued out of control, each trying to get the other to budge on the date and location.

Like “Four Christmases,” “Bride Wars” is best when bitter, and the supporting cast delivers a funnier performance than the leads. And sure, it’s overwritten with poor character development, but for a Janurary release, you could do a lot worse in a chick flick.

……………………………………………………………

NOT EASILY BROKEN

Okay, here’s the deal. Movies like “Not Easily Broken” have their heart in the right place, but it’s too bad the writing and directing wasn’t as good as its intentions.

This film tells the story of a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. Challenges like a wandering eye and a car accident that threatens the successful wife’s ability to be the breadwinner rock their relationship even more.

“Not Easily Broken” tries so hard to be a Tyler Perry movie, but fortunately for Perry, he had nothing to do with it. The film fails miserably as a manipulative, overly complicated, trite, unrealistic and poorly constructed film. Every incidental character gets a backstory and subplot, and the film resolves itself without any actual character change.

……………………………………………………………

GRAN TORINO

Okay, here’s the deal. You’ve gotta hand it to Clint Eastwood. He always manages to give us a quality, entertaining film. His latest, “Gran Torino,” may not be the best of the year, but it is definitely a solid movie.

Eastwood takes center stage on this as a crotchety old racist who befriends an immigrant family next door and helps defend them against a gang element. Sure, we’ve seen a lot of the same themes before, but that doesn’t mean Clint hasn’t done a good job putting them together here.

Like “Million Dollar Baby,” this is a strong drama, but it has plenty of humorous moments, often with Clint saying or doing something horribly politically incorrect but still is a relief to see on screen.

The movie is exceptionally well acted and effectively dramatic. This may be Clint’s last starring role, and it’s a heck of a way to go out.