The Roommate (2011)

Directed By: Christian E. Christiansen

Starring: Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Danneel Harris, & Alyson Michalka

MPAA Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 5 / 10

Is The Roommate a remake of Single White Female? For some reason, that question has become perhaps the most discussed thing about this new thriller. My answer to that question: isn't it obvious? If this wasn't meant to be a remake, then someone should file a lawsuit, because The Roommate is so much like Single White Female, it is practically the same film. So many scenes - the cuddly pet doomed from the minute it arrives, the ex-boyfriend tricked into sex, the girl-on-girl slapdown - are eerily similar, despite The Roommate focusing on younger characters and changing the setting (from an upscale New York apartment to a college dorm room). Now, my problem with this is that Single White Female is only a mildly-entertaining fluff piece anyway...so why would anyone choose to copy it? I can only guess it's because Fatal Attraction has already been covered. The good news is that The Roommate follows Single White Female's formula so closely that it actually manages to be as effective as its predecessor. I'm talking total cheesy trash...but in a completely watchable way.

No Strings Attached (2011)

Directed By: Ivan Reitman

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, & Lake Bell

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating: 7 / 10

Would it be a stretch to say that the romantic comedy subgenre has been in a slump the last few years? Would anyone disagree with me? I didn't think so. It's no secret that somewhere between the vibrating pantie scene in The Ugly Truth and, well, everything in The Bounty Hunter, the romantic comedy has become a consistently unfunny, unlikable, and thoroughly unbearable affair. All of this coming from someone who thought Killers was actually pretty funny...so you know I'm not terribly hard to please when it comes to these movies. It's rare nowadays to see a romantic comedy that doesn't make me want to throw myself off the concession stand before the ends credits...and, let's face it, if you have seen a trailer for No Strings Attached, you were probably under the same assumption I was: it's just more of the same. But, I realized that I had yet to see a 2011 theatrical release and really needed to if this blog was going to retain any (rumored) relevance whatsoever. So, dodging the continued downfall of Nicholas Cage and Seth Rogen still trying to be funny, I decided that No Strings Attached was probably the least psychologically-scarring movie in theaters.

Change of Plans (2011)

Directed By: John Kent Harrison

Starring: Brooke White, Joe Flanigan, Phylicia Rashad, Jayme Lynn Evans, & Bobby Soto

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

My Rating: 6 / 10

Ah, the first movie of a new year...there is something so refreshing and nice about beginning a whole new year of movie-reviewing. Starting 2011 off is the made-for-television movie, Change of Plans, starring American Idol-alum Brooke White. Marketed as part of the Wal-Mart and P&G collaboration to "bring back family movie night," Change of Plans is one of the most syrupy sweet movies I've probably ever seen. Had it been released in theaters, it wouldn't have been able to tread water. But, by being released on television at the family-friendly hour of eight o'clock, it is exactly what it intended to be, with no false pretenses about what it is. That isn't some back-handed compliment. Change of Plans is actually a rather well-made movie, aside from all the cinematic schmaltz, sporting far better-than-expected performances, as well as a rather touching and, at its core, genuine portrayal of adoption following tragedy.