Capsule reviews for Oct. 7

Billy Flanigan: The Happiest Man on Earth

That honor might be a stretch, but it also seems to fit the subject of this no-frills documentary that matches the optimistic charisma of Flanigan, saluting his longevity as a Disney live performer for four decades. While tracing his career, the film also probes his tumultuous personal life after exploring his sexuality as a married father of four. During the pandemic, when his fellow stage actors were struggling, he brightened their spirits by traveling to deliver “Flanigrams” on his bicycle. As a tribute first and foremost, the project shines a deserving spotlight on a man whose infectious enthusiasm feels genuine and certainly fits the brand. (Not rated, 84 minutes).

Bromates

A sight gag in which a dog farts into a used condom pretty much sums up this uninspired raunchy comedy that feels like a National Lampoon reject. There’s a low-brow throwback vibe to the story of millennial best friends Sid (Josh Brener) and Jonesie (Lil Rel Howery), who decide to become roommates while simultaneously enduring breakups. Then there’s a wild road trip involving some buddies that devolves into chaotic nonsense. The unfortunate stereotypes and lazy gross-out gags wouldn’t be so bad if there were more laughs along the way, or if any of this sitcom-style mayhem wasn’t so stale and derivative. Instead, it defaults to obnoxious. (Rated R, 97 minutes).

Last Flight Home

While it likely won’t be as cathartic for moviegoers as it undoubtedly was for filmmaker Ondi Timoner (Mapplethorpe), this bittersweet and almost too-intimate documentary effectively mines a universal exploration of grief within its deeply personal story. Timoner recalls the life of her father, Eli, as his life nears its end. The patriarch of a devout Jewish family who founded an airline in Florida in the 1970s, Eli later struggled with health issues and financial stability. It’s both audacious and sincere, focusing as much on Eli’s setbacks as his successes. Although there are inevitable moments of self-indulgence, it’s a powerful tribute to life, love, and human connection. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

Pretty Problems

Six eccentrics spend the weekend together with inconsequential results in this mostly improvised relationship satire, which at least benefits from a spirited ensemble cast. Lindsay (Britt Rentschler) is working in a vintage clothing store when she’s inexplicably befriended by an impulsive free spirit (J.J. Nolan) who invites Lindsay and her boyfriend (Michael Tennant) to a remote estate for what turns out to be a hedonistic weekend of superficial excess among three couples. As they’re drawn into the wealthy lifestyle of their hosts, their relationship is tested. Sometimes funny and occasionally creepy, the film lacks momentum as it meanders between scenarios for its wacky yet unsympathetic characters. (Not rated, 103 minutes).

Significant Other

What starts out as a familiar story of uneasy backpackers hearing noises in the woods evolves into a rather ambitious supernatural thriller. However, the result is only mildly unsettling, and lacking in genuine frights or consistent suspense. Harry (Jake Lacy) brings his reluctant girlfriend Ruth (Maika Monroe) to a trail along the Oregon coast with the intention of proposing. Ruth starts wandering off and acting erratically, but is there legitimate concern about what’s lurking beyond the trees? The film features some clever twists yet seems to make up the rules as it goes along without building any meaningful rooting interest in the couple’s fate. (Rated R, 84 minutes).

Signs of Love

A compassionate portrait of people living on the urban margins, this gritty drama establishes a promising tone before being undermined by formulaic plotting. Brooding drifter Frankie (Hopper Penn) is trying to break free from a cycle of addiction and violence that has plagued his family in a rough Philadelphia neighborhood. Specifically, he wants to mentor his teenage nephew (Cree Kawa) while distancing himself from grifting relatives including his father (Wass Stevens). A romance with a deaf woman (Zoe Bleu Sidel) might be his last shot at redemption. The screenplay by rookie director Clarence Fuller knows its setting but strands its compelling characters amid third-act cliches. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Soupy contrivances undermine the intended bittersweet emotional resonance in this drama adapted from the novel by Gabrielle Zevin, who also wrote the screenplay. It’s set on Cape Cod, where A.J. (Kunal Nayyar) owns a struggling bookstore while grieving the recent loss of his wife. The theft of a priceless volume of Poe poems threatens to send him over the edge until separate visits from a peppy saleswoman (Lucy Hale) and a young orphan change his outlook on life. While it has a Hallmark-style quaintness to its setting, the film yanks too aggressively at the heartstrings in a strained attempt to be life-affirming and profound. (Rated PG-13, 105 minutes).

To Leslie

A fully committed portrayal by the chameleonic Andrea Riseborough drives this character-driven drama that mostly sidesteps cliches regarding the cycle of addiction and recovery. She plays Leslie, a West Texas lottery winner who squanders her sudden fortune on alcohol. Years later, she’s destitute, finding compassion from an unlikely source when she’s hired by a motel manager (Marc Maron). But confronting her past and reconciling with her unforgiving best friend (Allison Janney) isn’t so easy. As Riseborough (Oblivion) generates hard-earned sympathy for a character so pitiful and abrasive, and who exploits her enablers, the raw and unflinching film offers a heartfelt examination of redemption and fractured families. (Rated R, 119 minutes).

Triangle of Sadness

More subtlety and nuance would enable a greater impact, but this ambitious satire of affluence and privilege from Swedish director Ruben Ostlund (The Square) has style and attitude to spare. Fashion models and social-media influencers Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) are among those aboard a luxury yacht with a boorish captain (Woody Harrelson) when it meets a series of mishaps that leave the richest passengers most helpless. Ostlund’s first English language screenplay also targets capitalism and socioeconomic class, although the film becomes bloated and obvious in its second half, with its surface cynicism failing to yield deeper insight beyond its provocative ideas. (Rated R, 149 minutes).