Capsule reviews for Sept. 4
Dakota Fanning and Cory Michael Smith star in THE SUN NEVER SETS. (Photo: Independent Film Company)
American Summer
Heartfelt intentions alone cannot rescue this nostalgic coming-of-age comedy that’s impossibly wholesome and relentlessly corny. Using awkward flashbacks, it recounts an idyllic summer for an aspiring teenage baseball star (Logan Gray) as he makes his hometown team, hangs with friends, falls for his crush, and awaits his father’s return from overseas deployment. All of the apparent anachronisms offer no sense of when or where the story takes place. However, the setting becomes irrelevant given the eye-rolling contrivances, stilted dialogue, uneven performances, and stale dad jokes — all predictably tied up with a bow and doused in a syrup of patriotic idealism. It’s just missing the apple pie. (Rated PG, 83 minutes).
The Girl in the River
An eclectic cast is about the only noteworthy element in this assembly-line procedural thriller that doesn’t do much to showcase their talents. When a politician’s daughter is murdered and her twin sister is missing in a small Mississippi town, the local police chief (Tiffany Haddish) faces public scrutiny. To investigate, she brings in a criminologist (Devon Sawa) with emotional baggage and an upstart criminal profiler (Maggie Grace) eager to prove herself. The far-fetched twists of this John Grisham wannabe don’t generate the suspense to raise the emotional stakes as intended. Lacking subtlety and surprise, the screenplay by rookie director Brando Benetton is more imitative than imaginative. (Not rated, 92 minutes).
Night and Day
Like its protagonist, this handsomely mounted adaptation of a breezy Virginia Woolf novel juggles various priorities with mixed results. Yet its intentions shine through, both as a progressive romantic comedy and a resolute feminist drama. It follows Katharine (Haley Bennett), an aristocratic young woman in Edwardian London whose desire to study astronomy is met with resistance by the patriarchal establishment, most notably her overbearing father (Timothy Spall), who would rather Katharine marry a suitor (Jack Whitehall) and start a family. An energetic portrayal by Bennett (Cyrano) conveys charm and conviction as a woman refusing to be defined by conventions as she navigates an intriguing sociocultural backdrop. (Not rated, 95 minutes).
The Runner
Gal Gadot keeps the adrenaline pumping with every step she takes in this real-time thriller from director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) with a pedestrian script that hardly seems worth her blood, sweat, and tears. Gadot (Wonder Woman) plays a London lawyer whose diabetic young son is abducted while she’s out on her morning run. The anonymous perpetrator’s gamesmanship forces her to confront her past, commit dangerous acts, and test the limits of her endurance — all before time runs out on his arbitrary deadline. Despite Gadot’s resilient stamina, as the twists become progressively more far-fetched, sedentary moviegoers will wind up feeling just as exhausted. (Rated PG-13, 84 minutes).
The Sun Never Sets
Propelled by solid performances and sharp dialogue, this character-driven drama from director Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies) puts a fresh spin on familiar thematic territory. It chronicles a summer of self-discovery in Alaska for aimless Wendy (Dakota Fanning), who’s torn between a frustrating past and an uncertain future. As commitment issues cloud her relationship with her divorced boyfriend (Jake Johnson), Wendy’s ex-flame (Cory Michael Smith) suddenly re-enters her life. Amid this awkward triangle, Wendy generates hard-earned sympathy despite unable to articulate what she truly wants. The lovely visual backdrop and shifting power dynamics enhance the narrative texture of a romantic tale about taking control of your destiny. (Rated R, 102 minutes).