Teen tale, thriller and broad comedy to arrive in theaters
A teen tale (“The Benchwarmers”), a stylish thriller (“Lucky Number Slevin”), a broad comedy (“Phat Girlz”) and a dance picture (“Take the Lead”) are the top titles arriving on this Palm Sunday weekend. The new films (with all dates subject to change) opening at a theater near you include:
– “The Benchwarmers,” with Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”), David Spade (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”) and Rob Schneider (“Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”) in a PG-13 comedy about some failed adult athletes who face a mean Little League team in a baseball competition. A local billionaire (Jon Lovitz of “City Slickers II”) pledges to build the winning team the greatest sports stadium ever constructed.
– “Don’t Come Knocking,” with Sam Shepard (“Black Hawk Down”), Jessica Lange (“Tootsie”), Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”) and Sarah Polley (“Go”) in an R-rated drama about a faded, self-centered movie star whose life consists of drinking liquor, taking drugs and chasing younger women. His outlook changes when he learns that he may have a child from a long-ago relationship. German filmmaker Wim Wenders (“The End of Violence”) directed, and Shepard wrote the story and screenplay.
– “Lonesome Jim,” with Casey Affleck (“Ocean’s Eleven”), Liv Tyler (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) and Mary Kay Place (“The Big Chill”) in an R-rated drama about a young man who reluctantly returns to his hometown in rural Indiana after failing to find success in New York City.
The young professional must then deal with an overbearing mother, a distant father and a depressed older brother, and he is emotionally and romantically rescued by a single mother who works as a nurse and is raising a young son.
Actor-turned-filmmaker Steve Buscemi (“Trees Lounge”) directed.
– “Lucky Number Slevin,” with Bruce Willis (“16 Blocks”), Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”), Ben Kingsley (“Sexy Beast”) and Josh Hartnett (“Sin City”) in a twisting R-rated noir tale involving hidden identities and a turf war between two extremely violent crime kingpins. The fun-to-watch R-rated film always puts style before substance, but Scottish director Paul McGuigan (“Wicker Park”) keeps the story moving and the surprises coming.
– “Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School,” with Robert Carlyle (“The Full Monty”) in a tale about a widowed baker who has renewed interest in life after visiting a Pasadena dancing school. The supporting cast of the PG-13 picture includes Mary Steenburgen (“Melvin and Howard”), Marisa Tomei (“My Cousin Vinny”), John Goodman (“The Big Lebowski”), Sean Astin (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy), Donnie Wahlberg (“The Sixth Sense”) and Danny De Vito (“Get Shorty”).
– “Phat Girlz,” with Mo’Nique (“Domino”) in a PG-13 comedy about a proud and outspoken plus-size fashion designer.
The professional woman grows tired of losing men to shallow and thin ladies and embarks on a quest of find romance.
– “Take the Lead,” with Antonio Banderas (“Desperado”) and Alfre Woodard (TV’s “Desperate Housewives”) in a fact-based, PG-13 story about a professional dancer who volunteers to teach ballroom dancing to the poor students at a New York City high school. Soon after, they add hip-hop moves to punctuate his smooth moves and develop an energetic style of dance.
At the buck$ office
Sharon Stone didn’t create any steam heat at the box office last weekend.
Her long-delayed sequel, “Basic Instinct 2,” opened with just $3.2 million, and the supposedly hotter European version of the erotic thriller should be in DVD stores by Memorial Day.
“Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” enjoyed a huge opening, grossing more than $70 million. According to the Associated Press, the 2002 original debuted with $45.3 million.
Spike Lee’s excellent thriller, “Inside Man,” continued to do strong business, grossing more than $15 million.
According to AP, the top-10 movies last weekend were:
1. “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” ($70.5 million)
2. “Inside Man” ($15.7 million)
3. “ATL” ($12.5 million)
4. “Failure to Launch” ($6.6 million)
5. “V for Vendetta” ($6.5 million)
6. “Stay Alive” ($4.58 million)
7. “She’s the Man” ($4.57 million)
8. “Slither” ($3.7 million)
9. “The Shaggy Dog” ($3.5 million)
10. (tie) “Basic Instinct 2” ($3.2 million)
10. (tie) “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector” ($3.2 million)
Coming soon!
The films scheduled to open April 14: “Friends with Money” (with Jennifer Aniston as a struggling woman being criticized by her wealthy friends) and “Scary Movie 4” (with Anna Faris making her fourth appearance in the spoof series).