Gary Thompson: Just out on DVD: 'True Grit,' 'Company Men'
SOME GOOD movies in the bin this week, starting with the Coen brothers' Oscar-nominated "True Grit." It's their more grounded-in-reality take on the iconic John Wayne classic, with Jeff Bridges as the U.S. marshal who helps a girl (Hailee Steinfeld) find the man (Josh Brolin) who killed her father. Superb support from Matt Damon, though I fear this movie
SOME GOOD movies in the bin this week, starting with the Coen brothers' Oscar-nominated "True Grit."
It's their more grounded-in-reality take on the iconic John Wayne classic, with Jeff Bridges as the U.S. marshal who helps a girl (Hailee Steinfeld) find the man (Josh Brolin) who killed her father. Superb support from Matt Damon, though I fear this movie will suffer in a small-screen downsizing. There's a featurette on "True Grit" novelist Charles Portis - it's a great book, well worth a read.
Speaking of downsizing, "Company Men" is a very good indie about corporate layoffs, starring Ben Affleck as a sales hotshot who slowly accepts that he's lost his privileged lifestyle, and takes a job with his contractor brother-in-law (Kevin Costner). Very well done, with juicy supporting roles for Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello.
"Just Go With It" is a so-so Adam Sandler comedy. He's a womanizing physician who gets his assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his ex-wife, and you'll never guess what happens. No wait, you will.