In Theaters This Weekend

... I can't.

What happened to Paul Bettany? I'm going to go ahead and blame it on Wimbledon. Let's look - Dogville, Master and Commander, A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind... all Oscar worthy performances. He was shaping up to be the actor of his generation, but then came Wimbledon and the land of guaranteed audiences. Wimbledon, Firewall, Legion, and now Priest? Creation, and his astonishing portrayal of Charles Darwin, is the late exception. 

With Priest and Bridesmaids (consider it an... estrogen-fueled The Hangover) opening this weekend, can you guess what I'm going to recommend? Let's take a brief look at both after the jump. 

More after the cut--

Paul

Eat your heart out, Roger. 

Paul is the simple story of an alien with an attitude, and a heart of gold. In fact, the entire point film is so sweet, that it seems almost impossible to believe that most of the film is crude, and partly cruel. Unlike Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, which were helmed by Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have brought us an eager "who said it" film filmed with countless references and... political poignancy. All this, from Superbad and Adventureland director Greg Mottola. Mottola's filmography is small, but consistent - he's a comedian's director with a lot of his own to say. That's a form of direction I've always appreciated; the ability to let others shine while imbuing your own specific messages into the forefront. But, here, Paul has mismatched its intent with its delivery. And that, in retrospect, hinders a positive reminder of the film. 

More after the cut --