The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television during the week of Sept. 14, as well as notes on TV programming for the same week. Televised films may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations while the programs listed have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by OSV News.
Streaming Now
“Groundhog Day” (1993; Netflix)
Lightweight romantic fantasy in which a sarcastic weatherman (Bill Murray) slowly goes bonkers when inexplicably caught in a time warp in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where, in daily reliving the same Groundhog Day, he gradually falls in love with his sweet-natured producer (Andie MacDowell). Despite appealing performances and numerous chuckles, director Harold Ramis’ comic invention falls victim to the movie’s own theme of repetitiveness. Occasional sexual innuendo and comic treatment of theft and suicide. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
“The Intern” (2015; Amazon Prime)
Generally affable comedy about a bored retiree (Robert De Niro) who enrolls in an online clothing retailer’s internship program for senior citizens. Assigned to assist the firm’s hard-driving founder (Anne Hathaway), who initially views him as little more than a nuisance, he works to prove his professional worth, while finding romance with the company’s in-house masseuse (Rene Russo). Writer-director Nancy Meyers showcases the synergy between the creative innovation of the young and the experience-based wisdom of their elders, though her means of doing so sometimes ring false. A subplot involving the strained relationship between Hathaway’s harried CEO and her stay-at-home husband (Anders Holm) is resolved in a way that ultimately affirms commitment and fidelity. Yet the dialogue, at least, follows a twisting path to get there. Taken together with the needless inclusion of some adults-only humor, the script’s slightly wobbling values raise concerns about the film’s acceptability even for older teens. A premarital situation, a nongraphic bedroom scene between spouses, intermittent sexual humor, a few rough terms, occasional crass language, an obscene gesture. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
“Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003; Hulu)
Standard but enjoyable yarn about a recently divorced San Francisco author (Diane Lane) suffering from depression and writer’s block who impulsively buys a Tuscan villa in hopes of recharging her life. Based loosely on Frances Mayes’ travel memoir, writer-director Audrey Wells’ film is light on believable plot, but packed with lovely Italian vistas with Lane’s appealing performance elevating an otherwise predictable fairy tale. An implied sexual encounter, references to a lesbian relationship, brief crass words, an instance of rough language and profanity. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, Sept. 14, 7-8:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Holy Mass in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Canonization.” Live broadcast from the Basilica at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland (TV-G — general audience).
Sunday, Sept. 14, 9-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) “Jungle Cruise” (2021). In 1916 Brazil, an intrepid British researcher (Emily Blunt) forms an unlikely alliance with a fast-talking Amazon River steamboat captain (Dwayne Johnson) and, aided by her brother (Jack Whitehall), they set off in quest of a mystical tree the healing flowers of which she believes will revolutionize medicine. They’re pursued by an eccentric German prince (Jesse Plemons) who thinks the same magic petals will give his homeland victory in World War I. Adapted by director Jaume Collet-Serra from a theme park ride, the lighthearted adventure is mostly a diverting, if insubstantial, fantasy. But the gratuitous addition of a scene in which Whitehall’s luxury-loving but good-hearted fop outs himself as gay and briefly parrots the LGBTQ party line, besides being wildly anachronistic, precludes endorsement for youthful viewers. Much raucous but stylized violence, a benign view of homosexual acts, some scatological humor, about a half-dozen mild oaths, a suppressed crude expression. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Monday, Sept. 15, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964). Peter Sellers is president of the United States, as well as the mad doctor of the title, when a fanatical general (Sterling Hayden) launches a nuclear bomber strike on the USSR. Director Stanley Kubrick’s black comedy shows the absurdity of a world quaking under the threat of annihilation by its own artifacts. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but sifting the leaves remains a provocative challenge even today. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 5-7 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Rocky IV” (1985). Sylvester Stallone gets back in the ring for the fight of his life against a Russian Olympic boxing machine (Dolph Lundgren). Stallone directs himself fighting to avenge the death of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) while regaining American honor. The sensitive may find the fight scenes too brutal. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. (Last in a series of four films from the franchise, beginning with “Rocky” (1976), 9:30 a.m.-noon EDT.)
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 10:30-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) “The American Revolution: An Inside Look.” This special takes viewers behind the scenes of celebrated documentarian Ken Burns’ new film about the American Revolution, due to premiere on PBS in November.
Thursday, Sept. 18, 9 p.m.-midnight EDT (TCM) “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946). Three World War II veterans (sergeant Fredric March, bombardier Dana Andrews and sailor Harold Russell with hooks in place of hands) meet on their way home to resume civilian lives in the same small town where they try to help each other readjust to peacetime. Director William Wyler gives sympathetic treatment to the postwar rehabilitation of returning GIs, portraying in fairly realistic detail their career difficulties as well as personal problems with wives and girlfriends (Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Cathy O’Donnell). Mature themes, including a broken marriage. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 8-10:05 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) “Black Adam” (2022). Five thousand years after he became his native land’s legendary liberator, before mysteriously disappearing, the superhero of the title (Dwayne Johnson) is reawakened in the present day and takes on the nation’s current oppressors, aided by a resistance fighter (Sarah Shahi) and her teen son (Bodhi Sabongui). But the metahuman agents of a law enforcement organization (led by Aldis Hodge) intervene to thwart the protagonist, maintaining that he is, in reality, an uncontrollably violent villain rather than a champion of freedom. As scripted by a trio of screenwriters, director Jaume Collet-Serra’s adaptation of DC Comics lore paces its dustups with debates about the true nature of justice and heroism as well as the proper use of force. Yet, while it also showcases self-sacrificing dedication, none of its themes ultimately ring true and the grown viewers for whom the film is acceptable are unlikely to connect with its characters. Mostly stylized but sometimes nasty combat with some gore, a couple of mild oaths, about a half-dozen uses each of crude and crass language. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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