Capsule reviews for Feb. 5

All Roads Lead to Rome

Apparently those roads are littered with clichés and contrivances, as evidenced by this hoary romantic comedy that at least benefits from some exotic Tuscan scenery. Indeed, the actors seem like they’re on vacation, including Sarah Jessica Parker as a single mother who takes her obstinate teenage daughter (Rosie Day) to Italy in part to escape the influence of her drug-dealing boyfriend back home. There, mom rekindles an old flame with an artist (Raoul Bova) while his impulsive mother (Claudia Cardinale) joins the girl for a rebellious stolen-car road trip. The film’s efforts to wedge crime-thriller elements into a screwball romance are neither amusing nor compelling. (Rated PG-13, 91 minutes).

The Club

Even if the overall impact is muddled, the provocative timeliness of this cynical drama from promising Chilean director Pablo Larrain (No) provides an emotional gut-punch. It takes place in a seaside town, where four disgraced Catholic priests are forced to live in seclusion as punishment for past transgressions, from sexual misconduct to a variety of criminal acts. When their routine is shaken by a newcomer and a subsequent tragedy, the quartet is forced to defend themselves to a church investigator (Marcel Alonso). The result is a highly charged if deliberately paced chamber piece that scrutizines organized religion and spiritual redemption through both shock and amusement. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

Misconduct

Either the Oscar-winning co-stars in this tawdry legal thriller didn’t read the screenplay beforehand, or they didn’t care. Because from a creative standpoint, there’s nothing to enhance resumes in this ludicrous story of a young attorney (Josh Duhamel) who tries to impress his Cajun boss (Al Pacino) by going after the corrupt CEO (Anthony Hopkins) of a big pharmaceutical company in a fraud case. Then an old flame (Malin Akerman) entangles the upstart lawyer in a murderous web of deception and blackmail. What might have been a provocative examination of the legal system or the drug industry instead settles for laughably incoherent plot twists. (Rated R, 106 minutes).

Regression

A solid cast is squandered in this absurd psychological thriller claiming to be based on a true story, with the title referring to some psychoanalytic quackery meant to unlock repressed memories through hypnosis. That’s the technique employed by a small-town Minnesota detective (Ethan Hawke) and a psychologist (David Thewlis) while investigating the rape of a young woman (Emma Watson) whose family members might have ties to a Satanic cult. Eventually the investigation takes its toll. While such a premise seems provocative, the screenplay by Chilean director Alejandro Amenabar (The Others) is a formulaic procedural that never generates much suspense and takes itself way too seriously. (Rated R, 106 minutes).

Tumbledown

Two strong performances highlight this tender but uneven romance that takes place in Maine, where Hannah (Rebecca Hall) has secluded herself in a lakeside cabin to grieve the loss of her husband, a semi-famous singer for who she’s writing a biography. Her emotional struggle is shaken up when she meets Andrew (Jason Sudeikis), a brash New York writer who wins her over with an offbeat sense of humor and becomes an unlikely muse. Even as the film, directed by first-timer Sean Mewshaw, has trouble keeping its disparate elements together, there are some touching character-driven moments along the way that smooth out the rough edges. (Rated R, 103 minutes).