My primary reason for going to movies is to be entertained.  I don’t need the best acting in the world or the best script in the world — just something that, when all put together, entertains me for 1 1/2 — 2 hours.  I appreciate the heavy dramatic pieces, but I have found that as I have gotten older, I just want to laugh or enjoy some action or both.

I raced out of the closing credits of Life As We Know It to get into the theater for the midnight showing of RED.  I grabbed a refill of Coke on the way and got settled just as the previews started.

RED is based on a DC-Comics series about a retired CIA agent.  The movie’s plot line is simple: someone is targeting random people to be killed by CIA teams in order to cover up past dastardly deeds.  While offering an okay through-thread, the story has a lot of holes in it if looked at any closer than a casual glance.

What makes this movie is the casting.  Bruce Willis is our hero, with Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich rounding out his team.  What stood out to me with this cast was the sheer joy you could see on their faces as they went from absurd situation to absurd situation.  Malkovich, in particular, had some of the best “crazy” moments.  Richard Dreyfuss, Karl Urban, Ernest Borgnine, and Mary-Louise Parker round out a great cast.

My Advice: see it at full price, leave brain at the door, and just enjoy a roller-coaster ride of actors having fun on-screen…

In my review of The Ugly Truth, I was fairly harsh on Katherine Heigl.  I mentioned concerns of being typecast and coming across as an “ice princess” in her last few roles.  So when I heard she had a new movie coming out, I wasn’t exactly running towards the box office to buy a ticket.

So, I found myself leaving work on a rare Thursday night and wanting to see a movie.  I knew RED was premiering at 12:01, so I looked for a movie that I could watch and still make the midnight show of RED.  The only movie that fit was Life As We Know It.  So I settled in at the AMC Altamonte for doubleheader night.

The story centers around two people who have mutual friends that are married.  Heigl is an organized, small business owner, while Josh Duhamel is a typical “man-about-town” sports director.  The two are paired on a disastrous first date and are made to interact closely together because of their friends.  One night, the friends die and leave guardianship of their baby girl to our two “heroes.”  What follows are the typical new-parent jokes, nosy neighbors, and soulless Child Services.

However, in the midst of all of the easy jokes and predictability, a good story starts to emerge.  We see actual changes occur in the two leads as they evolve into people we care about.  Heigl shows elements of the “ice princess” early; but as the movie progresses, I start seeing why casting directors keep giving her shots at romantic comedies.  By the time the credits roll, I find that I have not wasted my money on another bland movie.

My Advice:  matinee price or dollar theater; full price is not necessary, but you won’t feel cheated if you do pay that.  Not a bad date movie, but I would not use it as a first date movie.