Capsule reviews for July 31

The Cuban

Louis Gossett Jr. doesn’t get enough chances these days to showcase his abilities, so while you root for this heartfelt melodrama to succeed, it falls victim to sentimental clichés. Gossett plays a cantankerous former musician with dementia whose care worker (Ana Golja) shares his affection for Cuban jazz. Their ensuing bond brightens his spirits while giving her the courage to follow her own musical dreams despite the wishes of her domineering aunt (Shohreh Aghdashloo). There’s a quiet poignancy to the scenes with mentor and protégé in this tender examination of aging with dignity. Yet a tighter focus would help find a more appealing narrative rhythm. (Rated PG-13, 109 minutes).

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

The venerable Canadian crooner definitely deserves a salute to his music and legacy, and this breezy documentary provides a serviceable career retrospective. Lightfoot, who’s still feisty and engaging in his late 70s, essentially narrates his own story, with anecdotes from some of the many contemporaries he’s influenced. Along with providing insight into his influences and artistic process, especially as a songwriter and storyteller, it includes an impressive array of archival footage to help illustrate his catalogue of folk songs that has spanned more than four decades. While the film generally glosses over Lightfoot’s personal struggles with alcohol and relationships, the music makes it worthwhile. (Not rated, 90 minutes).

A Most Beautiful Thing

Although the steering is erratic at times, the heartfelt sincerity of this crowd-pleasing documentary drives it to the finish line. It tells the uplifting story of the rowing program at Manley High School in Chicago, which in 1998 provided an unusual avenue for black teenagers to escape the cycle of gangs and drugs around them, finding purpose and brotherhood. In addition to sharing stories of the original crew members, the film chronicles a 20-year reunion during which they train to race again. As directed by Mary Mazzio, a former Olympic rower herself, the film capably blends past and present while extoling the virtues of her sport. (Not rated, 95 minutes).

Rebuilding Paradise

The harrowing imagery of widespread destruction sets a sobering tone for this powerful documentary from director Ron Howard, which chronicles the aftermath of a massive 2018 wildfire that killed 85 people and essentially wiped out the titular town in the Northern California foothills. As the title suggests, the focus is on the hope amid the heartbreak, as the film follows a handful of working-class Paradise residents trying to get back on their feet alongside their neighbors. They combat bureaucratic obstacles, corporate greed, lingering mental and physical trauma, and more. The film lacks depth in spots, but its more intimate moments achieve a potent catharsis. (Rated PG-13, 91 minutes).

Red Penguins

Blending wacky marketing tactics, opportunistic American capitalists, and post-Cold War sociopolitical turmoil in Russia, this quirky documentary scores with more than just hockey fans. It revisits the somewhat misguided efforts of the owners of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins to invest in the cash-strapped, state-sponsored Red Army hockey team in Moscow in the early 1990s. That led to a slew of American-style promotional gimmicks to boost attendance and revenue, which upset Soviet traditionalists while garnering interest from Mickey Mouse and Russian mobsters. Director Gabe Polsky (Red Army) benefits from some colorful true-life characters and subject matter, and he assembles the interviews and archival footage into an amusing package. (Rated PG-13, 80 minutes).

The Secret: Dare to Dream

Egregiously lacking subtlety and surprise, this sappy adaptation of the Rhonda Byrne self-help novel from director Andy Tennant (Hitch) is packed with eye-rolling platitudes. It’s set in New Orleans, where a widow (Katie Holmes) with three kids endures a series of setbacks, including a storm that damages their home. Fortunately, a stranger (Josh Lucas) shows up to help get the family back on its feet and dispense optimistic pearls of wisdom. But his visit also has ulterior motives. The bayou scenery is nice, although for a movie about the power of positive thinking, the relentless contrivances and heavy-handed melodrama tend to have the opposite effect. (Rated PG, 107 minutes).

The Shadow of Violence

As it explores familiar thematic territory, a character-driven approach helps to sidestep some genre clichés in this generically titled Irish crime thriller. Douglas (Cosmo Jarvis) is trying to escape the cycle of violence that comes with being an enforcer for a Dublin drug kingpin. His girlfriend has left him and he barely sees his emotionally troubled young son. So when a loose cannon colleague (Barry Keoghan) trusts him with his first revenge killing, Douglas finds his loyalties tested with a decision that will impact his future. By confronting such inherent moral complexity, the film develops an undercurrent of sympathy beneath the testosterone-fueled, predictably brutal surface. (Rated R, 101 minutes).

Summerland

Strong performances can’t overcome the emotional calculations in this sentimental World War II melodrama about love, loss, coming-of-age, and coming out. It follows Alice (Gemma Arterton), a reclusive writer in southern England who becomes responsible for a young boy (Toby Osmond) evacuated from London without his family. Despite Alice’s reluctance, the two develop a bond, then realize they might share a connection from the past, too. The screenplay by rookie director Jessica Swale unspools some intriguing character dynamics while providing a tender and compassionate look at relationships enduring through turmoil. Yet the twists feel manipulative and inauthentic. The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Tom Courtenay. (Rated PG, 99 minutes).

Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison

Like its title character, this scrappy if uneven comedy is rough around the edges but occasionally flashes some good-natured sweetness. It marks the directorial debut for actor Romany Malco (Think Like a Man), who enthusiastically dives into the role of TJ, an ex-con who fashions himself an aspiring motivational speaker. As he hires a documentary film crew to follow him around, TJ’s ambitions frustrate his bickering family, as well as his exasperated parole officer (Regina Hall). Malco’s mix of over-the-top swagger with offbeat charm produces some scattered big laughs, yet any deeper emotional connection remains elusive as the sketchy material feels strained at feature length. (Not rated, 96 minutes).