"There is no easy way to say this. Ashutosh Gowariker's "What's Your Raashee?" is an excruciatingly painful film to watch. For the most part humorless and misguided, the film lumbers along for an unforgivable three-hours-and-thirty minutes, during which even the most patient viewers might contemplate suicide. If you survive the film's plodding pace and make it to the final act, you're expecting to be gratified by a smart ending. Prepare to be disappointed by a cop-out climax that clearly indicates the writers had no idea how to clean up this mess they made.
"Away We Go", directed by Sam Mendes is a sweet little film about a happy but more-or-less unprepared couple awaiting the birth of their first child. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as Burt and Verona, unmarried thirtysomethings who've settled down within a short distance of Burt's parents, only to discover that the selfish grandparents-to-be are selling the house and relocating to Belgium. In the end though, the film is a warm, old-fashioned morality tale about the importance of family and home.
Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is a likeable enough romantic-comedy filmed in the gorgeous Spanish city referred to in the movie's title. Held together by a witty script that essentially explores the mystery of what makes men and women tick, both in good times and bad, the film has a pleasing pace, and comes packed with the kind of smart dialogue you've come to expect from a Woody Allen picture.
