Not Much New in This Town

Subprime rom-com maxes out the clichés

(NEWSER) - Chick-lit flick Confessions of a Shopaholic is one victim the credit crisis should have claimed, say critics. Isla Fisher stars as a credit card addict who lands a job at a financial magazine, but her considerable comic gifts are wasted by a script that turns her into a "babbling ninny," Moira Macdonald writes in the Seattle Times. More»

Lame rom-com makes Bride of Chucky look like Dr. Zhivago

(NEWSER) - It's only January, but Bride Wars looks like a perfect match for the Worst Film of 2009 title, say critics. It's a "synthetic chick-flick-rom-com-formulaic-retread," writes Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star as a best friends who become fierce enemies when their weddings at New York's swank Plaza Hotel get booked on the same day. More»

Love blossoms between indie fans in teen romance with savvy soundtrack

(NEWSER) - Teen romance Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist turned some critics starry-eyed and others into curmudgeons. Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as a pair of indie-rock fans who have a crazy night in New York. The "often delightful love story that uses music as its primary backdrop" is reminiscent of John Hughes' teen flicks of the '80s, Josh Bell writes in Las Vegas Weekly. More»

(NEWSER) - A spirited performance from Ricky Gervais banishes the spectre of mediocrity from supernatural romantic comedy Ghost Town, critics say. The story of a dentist who starts seeing dead people is a touch generic, Bill Goodykoontz writes in the Arizona Republic, but Gervais—the UK creator of the original Office—shines through "with a sense of humor that makes him immensely likable." More»

Lightweight rom-com doesn't hit the jackpot

(NEWSER) - The new romantic comedy What Happens in Vegas probably should have stayed in Vegas, most critics think—or "in Hollywood, where such lamebrained ideas are hatched," writes Bill Goodykoontz in the Arizona Republic. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher star as a couple who get hitched after a drunken night out and are then ordered to stay together by a judge. More»