Quick reviews before the Christmas rush

December 4th:

These 2009 films slipped through the gaps in my reviews --

(500) Days of Summer

Finally, the tweeners have their "Annie Hall." That is high praise from me (and deserving) for this light and breezy rom-com* uses all the tricks in the book to spice up the story of one young man's obsession with the girl. Animation, out of sequence scenes, and a smart, at times witty screenplay all hark back to Woody Allen's classic. (There is even a song and dance number!) [*rom-com = romantic comedy]

None of this would work without leads who can capture the Allen-Keaton chemistry. Joseph-Gordon Levitt and the lovely Zooey Deschanel (a better actress than her sister Emily, star of "Bones" on tv), are perfectly matched, with chemistry and spark to match. On the downside, the obligatory male sidekicks don't make much of an impression, and Summer's 'replacement' can't hold a candle to Zooey, who is a worthy successor to Parker Posey as America's 'Indie Princess.'

The Informant!

Steven Soderbergh and the courageous Matt Damon (he plays an overweight schlub of a character!) team up for this comedic take on a true story: an Archer-Daniels Midland whistleblower who turns out to be a compulsive liar. When the extent of his delusions are finally revealed, however, it's not so much funny as sad. Nevertheless, the whole thing is played for laughs, sustained by Damon's committed performance. He is in almost every scene, and he nails the character and carries the movie past its shortcomings. Soderbergh is having fun with the material, too, turning southern Illinois circa 1990 into a landscape of bad fashion and ill-fitting hairpieces that look more like the 1970s (starting with the opening credits). He even uses both Smothers Brothers in key cameos. I could have done without Marvin Hamlisch's cheesy, over-the-top score, which only serves to call attention to itself. But if Soderbergh's intent is to create a parallel between the Watergate era the more-recemt sordid history of corporate crimes and cover-ups, he succeeds brilliantly.