Capsule reviews for Dec. 4

Christmas Eve

It might be intended to spread holiday cheer, but this misguided ensemble comedy has just the opposite effect. It takes place in New York on the titular day, when a power outage leaves no fewer than six groups of passengers stranded in different elevators. The resulting interaction leads to a variety of epiphanies, romances and crazy happenings. The script by director Mitch Davis (The Other Side of Heaven) is meant to be both amusing and uplifting, but the obnoxious characters aren’t given room to develop and the concept requires such an outrageous suspension of disbelief. The cast includes Patrick Stewart, Cheryl Hines and Gary Cole. (Rated PG, 95 minutes).

Every Thing Will Be Fine

A strong cast can’t enliven this muddled and lumbering melodrama from venerable director Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) that takes place in a snowy Canadian town, where a fledgling writer (James Franco) gets involved in a traffic accident that kills a small child, provoking a downward spiral that impacts his relationship with his girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) and with the boy’s single mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Wenders brings an evocative visual flair to capturing the wintry landscapes, although this deliberately paced study of guilt and grief that is so subdued as to keep its characters at an emotional distance, making even the smallest twists feel contrived. (Not rated, 118 minutes).

The Letters

Good intentions alone can’t salvage this aggressively heavy-handed Mother Teresa biopic that perhaps could use some divine filmmaking intervention. It hits the highlights as Teresa (Juliet Stevenson) begins her service as a cloistered nun in Calcutta, but feels called instead to become a missionary helping the poor, which causes friction both among her Catholic superiors and the Hindu locals. The story is told through letters that Teresa wrote to her spiritual advisor (Max von Sydow) over many decades. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t explore that religious conflict with much depth, opting for a heartfelt but glossy approach that doesn’t do justice to its subject’s impactful legacy. (Rated PG, 114 minutes).

Life

There’s enough angst-ridden brooding for a dozen movies in this low-budget drama from director Anton Corbijn (A Most Wanted Man) that chronicles the true-life encounter between budding superstar James Dean (Dane DeHaan) and young magazine photographer Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson) in 1955. Dean, of course, was known for his selfish elusiveness when it came to press and public appearances, so Stock is forced to endure the star’s impulsive behavior to do his job. It’s an amusing peek into Hollywood nostalgia, and DeHaan captures Dean’s speech and mannerisms, along with his fragile emotional instability. But as the film’s emotional anchor, Stock isn’t nearly as fascinating by comparison. (Rated R, 111 minutes).

A Royal Night Out

Her Majesty might have had some youthful indiscretions in her day, but there’s hardly anything scandalous about this innocuous comedy set in London during the celebration following V-E Day. That’s when future queen Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) and her more rebellious younger sister Margaret (Bel Powley) hatch a plan to go incognito and party all night with the commoners, to the chagrin of King George (Rupert Everett). There’s some fun to be had for followers of the royal family who can speculate on some of the historical details, yet the film is overwhelmed by silly contrivances and a tendency to emphasize screwball buffoonery over thoughtful mischief. (Rated PG-13, 97 minutes).