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And then there are those who seem conflicted by the mix of pros and cons. Marie Asner (Phantom Tollbooth) calls the first half "virtually a soft-porn film," but then she argues that "minimal dialogue," Peter Biziou's camerawork, and an effective soundtrack "save Unfaithful." Jan Stallones (Movieguide) agrees that the sex scenes give the film a "seedy peep-show quality." And yet she says the film "is artistically very good. The characters are complex and terrifically performed."

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) says the film itself portrays a double-mindedness. "Diane Lane's riveting turn as an unfaithful wife … carries this picture much further than it would have otherwise traveled. Her performance deserves to be seen. I'm only sorry that I can't say the same about the film itself. The truth that 'a double-minded man (or woman) is unstable in all his ways,' which we can find stated in James 1:8, is vividly portrayed here."

According to the reviews, there's nothing new about The New Guy. It's the latest in the unending stream of mediocre-to-bad comedies that stoop to the lowest, crassest humor to earn laughs. Social-reject Dizzy is the target of his high school classmates, until he gets a lesson in recklessness and cool from a prison inmate named Luther. Eventually, he uses his new talents to resolve conflicts between classmates, and then leads them in a violent charge against their rival school.

The USCCB critic writes, "The film … tries to paste a sappy, feel-good message about accepting yourself for who you are and not trying to impress others. But the only message that comes through loud and clear is that criminals give the best advice on how to succeed in school."

Steven Isaac (Focus on the Family) sums it up: "In a word: drivel. This movie can't make up its mind what it wants to be and so the story completely flops. The acting reeks of late-night infomercials, and the action is about as stimulating as a traffic jam. Need a few more reasons to skip this one?" He offers more. Similarly, Phil Boatwright and Paul Bicking (Preview) condemn "crude sexual material, vulgar language and inappropriate moderate violence."

Next week: In the immortal words of Bill Murray, "Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars … "

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May (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46