Capsule reviews for June 15

Eating Animals

Veganism gets a feature-length infomercial with this documentary based on the nonfiction book by Jonathan Safran Foer. At the very least, you’ll likely adjust your dietary habits after watching this expose about contemporary “factory farms,” which are mass-producing meat from chickens, hogs, and cattle faster than ever before without much regard for animal welfare, environmental safety, public health, or the plight of the independent farmer. As usual, money and politics are at the root of the issue. These broad observations aren’t especially insightful, although the film gains traction with some powerful anecdotes from whistleblowers and others fighting a corrupt system. Narrated by Natalie Portman. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Gotti

He was known as the “Teflon Don,” but this ridiculous biopic is sympathetic beyond reason toward John Gotti (John Travolta), the notorious New York crime boss whose portrayal here wants you to believe he was actually a caring family man running a respectable business. Based on a memoir by John Gotti Jr., the film recounts in somewhat sanitized fashion the highlights of Gotti’s misdeeds on the streets, as well as his volatile relationships to his wife (Kelly Preston) and son (Spencer LoFranco). While Travolta has his moments, the woefully uneven film too often settles for mobster stereotypes rather than providing meaningful insight into its subject. (Rated R, 104 minutes).

Mountain

A feast for both the eyes and the ears, this documentary from Australian director Jennifer Peedom takes us to the most majestic peaks around the globe, supplementing its breathtaking imagery with a lovely classical orchestral score and narration by Willem Dafoe. Examining the interactions between humans and mountains for centuries, the film showcases the beauty, the danger, and the allure of some of the highest and most remote spots on Earth from the perspective of daredevils and extreme sports enthusiasts, with an underlying ecological subtext. Whether you figure out the geography is really beside the point, since it’s best in this case to be lost. (Rated PG, 74 minutes).

The Year of Spectacular Men

The world hardly needs another romantic comedy about the whiny relationship travails of angst-ridden millennials, even if this effort is more amusing and more authentic than most. It marks the directorial debut of actress Lea Thompson and stars both of her daughters. The oldest, Madelyn Deutch, wrote the script and plays an aspiring actress suffering from arrested development and family strife who can’t commit to any of the various men in her life. Amid some scattered laughs, many of those periphery characters are more endearing than the off-putting protagonist with her forced virtues and flaws. The ensemble features Jesse Bradford, Brandon T. Jackson, and Zoey Deutch. (Rated R, 102 minutes).

The Yellow Birds

Talent on both sides of the camera can’t quite pull together this cerebral, introspective examination of the psychological trauma of military combat from director Alexandre Moors (Blue Caprice) that winds up more tedious than profound. Its nonlinear story takes place during and after the Iraq War, when young friends Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich) and Murphy (Tye Sheridan) experience tragedy on the front lines, which leads to lingering hostility on the home front. There are some twists to that familiar formula, and it’s all quite sincere, heartfelt, and well-acted. Yet the result somehow remains disjointed and emotionally distant. The cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Toni Collette, and Jason Patric. (Rated R, 94 minutes).