Capsule reviews for Feb. 14

Buffaloed

Both an offbeat love letter to the titular blue-collar New York city and a skewering takedown of sleazy debt collectors, this uneven comedy from director Tanya Wexler (Hysteria) never establishes a sufficient rooting interest beneath its broad surface laughs. It follows Peg (Zoey Deutch), a precocious young schemer living with her hairdresser mom (Judy Greer), whose latest hustle involves turning the tables on a ruthless collections agency. It’s difficult to sympathize with her resulting attempt to profit, despite the efforts of the screenplay and Deutch’s charismatic performance to persuade us otherwise. The result is mildly amusing, although its stab at socioeconomic satire feels unearned. (Not rated, 95 minutes).

Come As You Are

A premise that could have turned crude and insensitive instead winds up sweet-natured and charming in this breezy American remake of a 2011 Belgian crowd-pleaser. For twentysomething friends Scotty (Grant Rosenmeyer), Matt (Hayden Szeto), and Mo (Ravi Patel), various physical disabilities have contributed to their prolonged virginity. So their remedy is hiring a driver (Gabourey Sidibe) under false pretenses for a road trip to a Canadian brothel. While not as edgy as its predecessor, the film capably navigates tricky comic territory, ensuring that we’re laughing with these characters instead of at them. Bolstered by committed portrayals, it lacks subtlety and surprise but also sidesteps cheap sentimentality. (Not rated, 106 minutes).

The Kindness of Strangers

As the cinematic equivalent of a self-help seminar, this heavy-handed ensemble drama of redemption and rebirth is hopelessly melodramatic. Its intertwining stories during a New York winter include those of a mother (Zoe Kazan) who desperately resorts to grifting with her two sons while fleeing an abusive relationship, a nurse (Andrea Riseborough) who finds her calling as a therapy group leader, a blue-collar worker (Caleb Landry Jones) who winds up homeless, and a burned-out restaurateur (Bill Nighy). Few of the ensuing connections ring true in the screenplay by director Lone Scherfig (An Education), which squanders a talented cast mostly because the film wallows in sentimental contrivances. (Not rated, 112 minutes).

Olympic Dreams

Let’s salute the power of the Olympics to bring together complete strangers from around the world. This slight romantic comedy notably gained unprecedented access to film inside the Athletes Village in South Korea during the 2018 Winter Games, where a cross-country skier (Alexi Pappas) falls for a volunteer dentist (Nick Kroll). With actual Olympians playing smaller roles during their free time, it’s more than a gimmick. Rather, the setting adds a layer of charm and authenticity, seamlessly weaving a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of the Olympic athlete experience into its story. The result doesn’t win the gold, but at least reaches the podium. (Rated PG-13, 85 minutes).

Ordinary Love

Two audacious and heartfelt performances drive this deliberately paced and modestly affecting drama that’s relatable precisely because it’s so, um, ordinary. Tom (Liam Neeson) and Joan (Lesley Manville) are London retirees who’ve been happily married for decades. But their relationship is tested when Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer, forcing her into a life-or-death cycle of treatments while Tom struggles to keep up as the supportive husband. The perceptive film tracks the emotional and physical toll of the ordeal in intimate detail, both inside and outside the hospital. The terrific chemistry between Neeson and Manville help elevate the story above cancer clichés or cheap sentimentality. (Rated R, 92 minutes).

The Photograph

Effectively understated performances drive this richly textured romantic melodrama about grief, memories, regret, and reconciliation. Mae (Issa Rae) is a New York museum curator who helps a journalist (Lakeith Stanfield) dig up some archival photos for an article he’s writing. As their relationship deepens, those photos spur a series of flashbacks that tie them to Mae’s life, and in particular secrets involving her recently deceased mother (Chante Adams) and a Louisiana crab fisherman (Rob Morgan). The overall impact is modest and the ending is generic, although the screenplay by director Stella Meghie (The Weekend) dips into the past to provide a fresh perspective on contemporary relationships. (Rated PG-13, 106 minutes).

A Simple Wedding

Cross-cultural variations on Meet the Parents are nothing new, and this predictable romantic comedy is content to just spin its wheels with a familiar story about celebrating our differences. It follows an attorney (Tara Grammy) who fears the worst when introducing her new bisexual artist boyfriend (Christopher O’Shea) to her eccentric and very traditional Iranian family. Her parents insist on rushing the couple into marriage, which leads to various complications that threaten relationships all around. The screenplay by rookie director Sara Zandieh downplays any meaningful examination of Middle Eastern customs in favor of clumsy and cartoonish characters straight out of a failed sitcom pilot. (Not rated, 88 minutes).

Spy Intervention

If James Bond was thrust into a romantic comedy, hopefully it would be better than this predictable trifle about a globetrotting spy (Drew Van Acker) trying to trade the high-stakes espionage game for suburban life with a boutique owner (Poppy Delevingne). She doesn’t know about his undercover gig, which becomes an issue when he’s recruited for one final job that could help him thwart some bad guys and also spark their relationship. Rookie director Drew Mylrea’s technical gimmicks don’t add much to a modestly amusing farce that remains too detached from reality to provide incentive to care — about the fate of the world or their marriage. (Not rated, 93 minutes).

The Times of Bill Cunningham

The longtime New York Times fixture whose camera lens captured fashion and cultural trends in his beloved city for decades is the subject of this documentary tribute. Shaping its story through an extended 1994 interview by director Mark Bozek, Cunningham provides personal details — including a meager lifestyle that deliberately ran counter to the lavish soirees and celebrities he documented — as well as his well-known affection for cycling and his overall zest for his work. Cunningham’s career was already examined in another documentary 10 years ago, so this effort feels somewhat superfluous. Yet his charisma also keeps things lively and socially relevant. Narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker. (Not rated, 74 minutes).