Uplifting melodrama, comedy hit big screen this weekend
The new motion pictures opening today at a theater near you include: – “Bad Company”: After a young CIA agent dies in the line of duty, his smart-mouthed identical twin brother (Chris Rock of “Nurse Betty”) is drafted by a veteran spy (Anthony Hopkins of “Hannibal”) to finish a dangerous assignment. That job involves a nuclear weapon that’s being purchased by terrorists and must be found within nine days. The action comedy, rated PG-13, co-stars Peter Stormare (“Fargo”) and Brooke Smith (“Series 7”). Joel Schumacher (“A Time to Kill”) directed.
– “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”: After a neurotic young woman (Sandra Bullock of “Miss Congeniality”) refuses to invite her outrageous mother to her wedding, the daughter begins to investigate her parent’s difficult life and understands the hardships that influenced the older woman’s personality. Ellen Burstyn (“Requiem for a Dream”), Ashley Judd (“High Crimes”), James Garner (“Space Cowboys”) and Maggie Smith (“Gosford Park”) co-star. Screenwriter Callie Khouri, best known for penning “Thelma and Louise,” made her directing debut.
– “Enigma”: A brilliant British mathematician (Dougray Scott of “Mission: Impossible II”) must return to his World War II code-breaking duties after suffering a nervous breakdown. The psychological condition was partially caused by a beautiful woman (Saffron Burrows of “Deep Blue Sea”) who may have been a spy and obtained information from him during their brief affair.
Rock star Mick Jagger and “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels co-produced this R-rated espionage thriller, which features a screenplay by Oscar-winner Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”) based on the best seller by Robert Harris.
Michael Apted (“The World Is Not Enough”) directed.
– “The Lady and the Duke”: In this 129-minute historical drama, rated PG-13, Lady Grace Elliott (Lucy Russell), a Scottish expatriate, is living in Paris during the French Revolution and risks her life by sympathizing with the monarchy. The woman then plays a cat-and-mouse game to avoid the blade of the guillotine. Veteran filmmaker Eric Rohmer, 81, directed.
– “Son of the Bride”: During this 124-minute import from Argentina, a workaholic man (Ricardo Darin) suffers a mid-life crisis, and after a mild heart attack, he tries to woo back his ex-wife while simultaneously carrying on an affair with his lover (Natalia Verbeke). The R-rated picture received an Oscar nomination as best foreign language film. Juan Jose Campanella directed.
At the Buck$ Office
The nuclear worries spread by “The Sum of All Fears” didn’t keep audiences away from the PG-13 thriller.
The film, based on the best seller by Tom Clancy and starring Ben Affleck as CIA analyst Jack Ryan, took the No. 1 spot at the box office and surprised may industry observers by knocking “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” out of the top position.
Also enjoying a successful debut was the broad satire, “Undercover Brother,” starring Eddie Griffin as a black operative battling a fearsome racist known as The Man.
“Spider-Man” continues to do incredibly strong business. According to the Associated Press, the glossy film, based on the Marvel Comic, topped $354 million last weekend and will soon pass “Jurassic Park” to become the No. 5 top-grossing film of all-time.
The top 10 films last weekend were:
1. “The Sum of All Fears” ($31.2 million)
2. “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” ($20.7 million)
3. “Spider-Man” ($14.5 million)
4. “Undercover Brother” ($12.1 million)
5. “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” ($10.7 million)
6. “Insomnia” ($9.8 million)
7. “Enough” ($6.8 million)
8. “About a Boy” ($4.1 million)
9. “Unfaithful” ($3 million)
10. “The New Guy” ($1.5 million)