Our critics' selections

The Company Men

Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones face sink-or-swim time in John Wells' intelligent and involving story about corporate layoffs. A splendid supporting performance by Kevin Costner as Affleck's blue-collar brother-in-law.

R

No Strings Attached Ashton Kutcher, shaggy as a sheepdog, and Natalie Portman, snippy as a miniature pinscher, bark and spark in this look at the difference, and distance, between hookup and connection from director Ivan Reitman. R

The Way Back Peter Weir's account of political prisoners' incredible escape from a Soviet gulag in 1940, and their 4,000-mile trek through snow-covered mountains, mosquito-infested rivers, and the Gobi Desert to freedom in India. R