Capsule reviews for April 14

Everything Went Fine

With tenderness and empathy, this bittersweet family drama from French filmmaker Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool) is deliberately paced but rewards patience. It centers on elderly art collector Andre (Andre Dussollier) who suffers a stroke, prompting his estranged daughter (Sophie Marceau). As she tries to reconcile with a troubled past, he is partially paralyzed and requests her assistance in ending his life, which involves a host of moral and legal complications for the family, including Andre’s curiously indifferent wife (Charlotte Rampling). Without wallowing in heartbreak, the tightly focused film suffers from uneven narrative momentum while benefiting from deeply felt performances that find a universal resonance. (Not rated, 113 minutes).

Hilma

Providing the compassion and acceptance that eluded its enigmatic subject in real life, this biopic of Swedish painter Hilma af Klint is both conventional and insightful. The film examines her life and legacy through a contemporary feminist lens, spotlighting Hilma (Tora Hallstrom and Lena Olin) as she develops a passion for abstract art inspired by tragedy, sexuality, and intense spiritual enlightenment. That combines to make her an outsider as she pushes late 19th century cultural boundaries. The script by veteran director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules) is earnest yet sufficiently conveys the enduring fascination behind Hilma’s work as an artist ahead of her time. (Not rated, 114 minutes).

Mafia Mamma

Toni Collette’s charismatic performance can’t rescue this predictably silly fish-out-of-water comedy from director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) that struggles to freshen its formula. Collette plays Kristin, who sees a trip to Italy for her grandfather’s funeral as a welcome vacation from her philandering husband and misogynistic co-workers. But then she discovers that the deceased was a mob kingpin, and she’s next in line to run the family business. With help from an associate (Monica Bellucci), the mild-mannered Kristin inadvertently becomes embroiled in a territorial war between crime syndicates. Despite some scattered laughs, this broad farce can’t sustain its thin premise while swinging at familiar comic targets. (Rated R, 101 minutes).

One of These Days

Struggling to balance playful eccentricities with bleak cynicism, this muddled dramatization of a true-life East Texas endurance contest presents a similar challenge for moviegoers. It’s inspired by a “Hands On” competition in which 24 hopefuls must maintain physical contact with a truck over several days to win it. As the bizarre spectacle captivates spectators, its participants including family man Kyle (Joe Cole) battle fatigue, delirium, cutthroat gamesmanship, and the strict eyes of the judges. Favoring long static takes, German director Bastian Gunther’s screenplay feels emotionally detached while reinforcing stereotypes inherent to its rural setting. Check out a superb 1997 documentary on the same subject instead. (Not rated, 119 minutes).

The Pope’s Exorcist

Rather than a potentially intriguing biopic of its true-life subject focusing on his methods and beliefs, this uninspired horror thriller from director Julius Avery (Overlord) is merely a compilation of effects-driven calculations and threadbare genre tropes. It’s supposedly based on a true case involving Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe), the Vatican’s chief exorcist for many years, and the demonic possession of a young boy (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) whose family inherited a Spanish abbey. Could the case expose a church conspiracy? It’s slick and stylish but never adds up to much. The intermittent fun comes from Crowe, the only collaborator who doesn’t appear to take this mess seriously. (Rated R, 103 minutes).

Rare Objects

The worthwhile intentions surpass the emotional resonance in this character-driven drama from director Katie Holmes (Alone Together) that offers a muddled examination of the post-traumatic healing process. Specifically, it follows Benita (Julia Mayorga), a Manhattan college student still emotionally fragile while recovering from an incident in her recent past. She finds some catharsis with a new job at an antiques store, only to experience new anxieties related to her family and future. The film provides multiple angles to sympathize with Benita, except that the uneven screenplay feels too deliberately paced and narratively disjointed to maximize its impact. The cast includes Derek Luke, Alan Cumming, and Holmes. (Rated R, 123 minutes).

Sick of Myself

With its smug mindset perhaps unintentionally mimicking its protagonist’s attention-seeking obsession, this Norwegian dark comedy nevertheless is a provocative skewering of narcissism and toxic victimhood in the social-media age. The question is what motivates the self-absorbed Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) as she watches her enabling boyfriend (Eirik Saether) launch a successful art career before she contracts a rare skin disease that gives her the spotlight she so desperately craves. Is she driven by jealousy, a misanthropic worldview, or genuine illness? Although it lacks realistic grounding, the exaggerated screenplay by director Kristoffer Borgli transcends mere shock value as it effectively satirizes clout-chasing and commercialism with grim amusement. (Not rated, 97 minutes).

Sweetwater

Somehow, a biopic about one of basketball’s most innovative and dynamic players is dull and derivative, turning this attempt to showcase the story of a pioneering Black superstar into a cinematic airball. In the late 1940s, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton (Everett Osborne) thrills crowds with the Harlem Globetrotters but dreams of competing in the fledgling NBA, where Black players aren’t drafted and showmanship isn’t allowed. Heartfelt intentions aside, the sanitized screenplay by director Martin Guigui (The Bronx Bull) woefully lacks depth and nuance, preferring to focus less on Sweetwater’s courage and charisma and more on the oblivious, self-congratulatory white men who broke down their own barriers. (Rated PG, 118 minutes).

Wild Life

Perhaps too eager to celebrate the philanthropy of its subjects, this documentary from directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) is infused with emotional depth along with striking visuals of remote South American landscapes. The film chronicles the efforts of Kris and Doug Tompkins, the outdoors entrepreneurs behind such brands as The North Face and Esprit, to transform millions of acres of wilderness in Argentina and Chile into national parks through a massive land purchase and donation, despite some bureaucratic curve balls. Although the various elements don’t always come together, the film — like the Tompkins — has its ecological heart in the right place. (Rated PG-13, 93 minutes).