20 Second Movie Reviews ™

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

The big screen version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved musical tells the story of the mysterious Phantom who terrorizes the Paris Opera House while tutoring an enchanting young singer. With her beautiful voice, Emmy Rossum (Christine) is the real star, but the other leads do a satisfactory job of both singing and acting. This will likely be one of those movies that viewers either love or hate, but the filmmakers have done a good job of recapturing what the musical is like on stage.

Director: Joel Schumacher
Actors: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
Recommended? Yes

Monster-in-Law (2005)

Film legend Jane Fonda returns to the big screen as the mother from hell in this mildly entertaining romantic comedy about a young couple (Jennifer Lopez and Michael Vartan) who meet, fall in love and get engaged, only to have his mother (Fonda) do everything she can to break them apart. The actors try their best, but even star wattage can only do so much to overcome such a dim script.

Director: Robert Luketic
Actors: Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda, Michael Vartan, Wanda Sykes, Adam Scott
Recommended? No

The Wedding Date (2005)

Pretty Woman is turned upside-down when Kat (Debra Messing) hires male escort Nick (Dermot Mulroney) to pose as her boyfriend at her sister's wedding. It's hard to have a successful romantic comedy when the story has few laughs and the stars have little chemistry. Even so this makes for a pleasant enough film, mosly due to the understated plot and likeability of the stars.

Director: Clare Kilner
Actors: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams, Jack Davenport, Sarah Parish
Recommended? Yes