It seems to be an unwritten rule: If you're a popular, middle-aged Hollywood actor, you must take your turn playing the mentor to a host of young unknowns, challenging them to seize the day, escape the temptations and pitfalls of reckless youth, and strut their stuff for the rest of the world. For Robin Williams, it was Dead Poets Society. For Michelle Pfeiffer, it was Dangerous Minds. Jeff Bridges did it in White Squall, and he'll do it again later this month in Stick It.

And now, here's Antonio Banderas as Pierre Dulaine, a European ballroom dancer who introduces the troubled teens of a South Bronx high school to the methods of mastering slick maneuvers on the dance floor. In doing so, he teaches them discipline, restraint, and respect. And he learns a thing or two himself, opening his rigorous method to include the hip-hop rhythms that capture the imaginations of these young students.

Take the Lead was directed by Liz Friedlander, formerly a music video director. Thus, she knows how to deliver the razzle-dazzle. But does she know how to tell a meaningful story?

Camerin Courtney (Christianity Today Movies) writes, "There are great lessons here … that culture can elevate and inspire even in surprising places, that sometimes the only thing standing between a depressing statistic and a promising young life is an adult who's willing to invest some time and talent, that despite socio-economic status or the color of one's skin we all have a lot more in common than we realize … but some of these truisms are at risk of getting lost or watered down by all competing with one another."

She's also not happy with the conclusion, saying that the "final dance scene loses steam, loses its main character, and has to share half the screen with the closing credits." But she concludes, "In a world—and movie culture—full of violence and vulgarity, this more genteel and classy Lead is definitely worth following."

Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) is impressed with its message too. He says that the director "makes an assured feature film debut despite the formulaic plot, and has elicited good performances from all …" Forbes agrees with Courtney, that "more virtuoso dancing" would have been nice. And he cautions viewers about the "salty" language. But he concludes that "this is a feel-good film with a great message that young people should see."

Bob Hoose (Plugged In) sees the film as a predictable corporate product. "A Tinseltown movie team is such a strange artistic conglomerate. You have producers, writers, a director, actors, crew and corporate execs all tossing in their creative fodder and hoping that the outcome will be something transcending compost. Most often, we end up with a film that duplicates much of what has gone before, which is precisely what happens with Take the Lead."

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Greg Wright (Hollywood Jesus) admits that he really liked it. "And this is Take the Lead's final lesson: trust. When leaders lead and followers follow, it's only harmonious, joyful, and beautiful when trust blossoms between them—the product of patience, kindness, gentleness, reliability, self control. Ballroom dancing—heck, any dancing—can be a spiritual experience. … And it's nice to see that the filmmakers are really behind that message. Wouldn't it be nice if, at the end of all such movies, winning and losing became wholly irrelevant?"

At the same site, Maurice Broaddus says, "The themes and images in Take the Lead have been seen in many films. It hits every cliché and does nothing new with the subject matter. It lacks the magic spark that moves a film from earnest message to good story. With Take the Lead, you'll have to be satisfied with its earnestness, though you can't help but leave with a greater appreciation for dance."

Mainstream critics are taking the lead in criticizing the cliché d nature of the film, but they manage to have some fun anyway.

Slevin not so lucky with critics

Revenge. Mistaken identity. Hit men. A beautiful stranger. And a hero with a broken nose. Josh Hartnett stars in Lucky Number Slevin, a hodge-podge of film noir conventions given a stylish twist by director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park). The supporting cast includes Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, Bruce Willis, and Lucy Liu.

Some viewers will want to steer clear of it because of its focus on the violent and the vengeful. Others will want to avoid it because of excessive, indulgent onscreen bloodshed. And then there will be those who don't like storytellers who deliberately mislead the audience. Critics are finding all kinds of reasons for moviegoers to steer clear of this one. And yet they're finding some pleasant surprises as well.

Peter T. Chattaway (Christianity Today Movies) offers a long list of the film's violent events, just to give you fair warning. "But if you do get a kick out of this sort of film," he adds, "then you may like Slevin—though the characters are wafer-thin and the plot leaves you with little to digest once the movie's over, which is probably for the best, since the more you think about it and take it seriously, the more disturbing it does become."

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Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) praises the performances, and yet he says that the result is "ultimately pretty formulaic underneath the flashy edginess. But it's the pervasive revenge motif … that precludes recommendation."

Adam R. Holz (Plugged In) writes, "[M]oviegoers hoping for an engaging story (one that often echoes the suspenseful structure of 1995's The Usual Suspects) will be forced to sit through buckets of bloodshed and two completely gratuitous—and graphic—sex scenes as well."

He's also upset by the message that "revenge is the only possible response to violence."

Mainstream critics are split over whether the film's stylish pros outweigh the violent cons.

Critics boo The Benchwarmers

What happens when you put Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Jon Heder in a movie produced by Adam Sandler? Moviegoers line up for 90 minutes of the kind of humor they enjoyed in the high school locker room. Call it The Bad News Bears meets Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest.

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says, "Even if you were picked last in gym class, you'll find little amusement in Benchwarmers … a lame comedy about inclusion, sportsmanship and embracing your inner nerd. … Despite a commendable underdog message and some occasional funny moments, director Dennis Dugan's film strikes out, its Bad News Bears script straining under forced laughs and sophomoric slapstick."

Bob Smithouser (Plugged In) says, "Much like a Farrelly brothers comedy, The Benchwarmers has a blast at the expense of brainy misfits, tearing them down on its way to a finale that wraps an arm around them as if to say, 'We kid because we love!' And somewhere amid all of that juvenile cruelty and offensive humor is a sports movie so ludicrous that The Benchwarmers might just replace steroids as baseball's greatest embarrassment of 2006."

You'll find far more entertainment in the various ways that mainstream critics describe the film's failures.

Phew phavor Phat Girlz

Mo'Nique stars as a fashion designer for plus-size women in the comedy Phat Girlz, a movie focused intently on making defending the dignity of women who don't fit the popular standard of skinny.

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says this "sporadically entertaining film encourages self-esteem and self-acceptance, but this positive message is sullied by its freewheeling attitude toward premarital sex and its bawdy tone."

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Marcus Yoars (Plugged In) says that, "despite its B-level quality, Phat Girlz tries really hard to make a positive statement about accepting yourself for who you are—flabby thighs, love handles and all. … There's a big difference in intending to do something, however, and actually doing it. Besides lots of foul language and sex, the film suffers from the very thing it's railing against. … But while America may be obsessed with weight, so is Phat Girlz, to the extent that every onscreen moment falls victim to the same fat/thin filter."

Mainstream critics find that this film is just too, um, burdensome.

L'Enfant: lessons learned the hard way

Bruno is a not-so-juvenile delinquent whose life is all about transactions—especially illegal ones. Everything in his life is a matter of money, and his cell phone is the key that opens doors to dangerous endeavors. How can a man like that manage as a father? That's what his girlfriend Sonia wonders, now that she's out of the hospital with their new baby in tow. And it doesn't take long for Bruno to make a spectacular show of his heartlessness.

With L'Enfant (The Child), Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardennes have crafted their fourth masterpiece. It's a story about conscience, responsibility, and family. It betrays no preaching, politicizing, or prejudice, but sticks to artful observation, respecting the viewer's intelligence and ability to discern its themes. This vision of human behavior is so authentic and convincing, it often feels like a hidden-camera documentary. Nothing is heavy-handed, sentimental, or gratuitous—in each scene, everything belongs and contributes to what the film can mean.

The two central characters, Bruno and Sonia, are played by supremely talented young actors—Jé ré mie Renier and Dé borah François. It's fast-paced, intense, and wraps up with an unforgettable conclusion.

Did I mention the nerve-wracking car chase?

L'Enfant is one of the most artful and memorable films you'll see this year. My full review is at Christianity Today Movies.

Prodigal father comes a-Knocking

Don't Come Knockingstarts with the reunion of two artists whose last collaboration resulted in a classic—actor/writer Sam Shepard and director Wim Wenders, who two teamed up to craft Paris, Texas in 1986. And here, once again, they deliver a memorable story of a man searching for redemption.

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Shepard brings rough authenticity to both the script and his performance in the lead role of Howard Spence, a big screen star of Westerns who decides to run away from a movie set in order to try and salvage the closest thing to a family he ever had. Wenders' contribution is to reveal the invisible workings of the Spirit in these lives—through observant camerawork, meditative pacing, and an intuitive grasp of how this rugged landscape represents desolate spiritual territory.

Wenders, a Christian, has been giving attentive cinephiles "eyes to see and ears to hear" for almost three decades of filmmaking. At Christianity Today Movies, I offer a look at this new project, reflect on Wenders' career of intriguing films, and share some of my recent conversation with him. (An extended version is posted at Looking Closer.)

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) isn't as enthusiastic. "Wenders is an accomplished filmmaker, of course, and he adds his artful cinematic vision to the familiar Shepard territory. … Shepard's themes of myth versus reality of the American West, the pitfalls of fame, the human capacity for violence, broken families, loneliness and loss have frankly been better handled in his stage work." And he concludes, "Overall, there's a stilted, artificial quality to the story, and most of the performances never quite ring true."

Even as they express their respect for the talents of these two authoritative artists, mainstream critics are divided over this project.

More reviews of recent releases

Ice Age: The Meltdown: Andrew Coffin (World) says the movie "is modestly entertaining and will probably delight many children, but its limp storyline and dependence on mildly crass humor and Looney Tunes-style physical comedy make it a parental disappointment."

Thank You for Smoking: Andrew Coffin (World) says, "While Thank You for Smoking doesn't quite qualify as a conservative film, it's a rare political satire that is consummately self-aware and asks the audience to think for itself. The philosophical content here is so appealing, in fact, that it's a shame that the film must be recommended with such a strong caveat." (He's referring to the profanity and "some sexual content.")

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