Museum Cluttered But Fun

Jason Segel, Amy Adams bring franchise back to life

(NEWSER) - Resurrecting a legendary franchise is a daunting task—but Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and the guys behind Flight of the Conchords have done it with roaring success. In the new Muppets film, the stars track down the Muppets in puppet retirement for a whole new show. (It's got a 98% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes .)

• “The Muppets won me over, over and over and over again,” writes Christopher Orr in the Atlantic . “Equal parts tender and hilarious, heartfelt and sly,” the movie “is an utter delight, a tidal surge of joyful nostalgia cunningly repackaged and updated.”

Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy star in Brett Ratner film

(NEWSER) - Tower Heist is a recession comedy, telling the story of a group of men stealing their own money back from a rich swindler. Critics say it’s worth a watch:

• “Here is a comedy that doesn't go heavy on the excremental, the masturbatory, and symphonies of four-letter words. It's funny in an innocent screwball kind of way,” writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times .

Squid and the Whale director does nice job with tough material

(NEWSER) - Ben Stiller takes a serious turn playing an angsty 40-something in Greenberg, the latest from The Squid and the Whale's Noah Baumbach, and the film gets mostly solid reviews:

• J. Hoberman, Village Voice : "The style is observational, the drama is understated, and, when the time comes, it knocks you out with the subtlest of badda-booms."
• Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.com : "A star is born: The main reason to see Greenberg is not Ben Stiller, who has played similar parts before, but a new, gorgeous actress named Greta Gerwig, who has so far made a mark in a number of small indies."

Irish setting one of few pluses about predictable rom-com

(NEWSER) - The Irish scenery is charming in the new romantic comedy Leap Year, but most critics run out nice things to say about the movie beyond that.

• Amy Adams does her best as an American seeking to exploit an Irish tradition about women proposing once every 4 years, but her considerable talents "don't do much for the film "except for perhaps ensuring that it's not a completely painful cinematic experience," writes Jeff Vice at the Deseret News.

(NEWSER) - Critics agree: The Invention of Lying should have been better. It’s got a great concept, and the subversive moxy to call religion a fib, but then turns into a standard romantic comedy. Here’s what they’re saying:

• It’s a “wickedly funny idea” with the wickedness taken out, says Ty Burr of the Boston Globe. It settles for being a “sweet but toothless romantic comedy.” The worst part is that Jennifer Garner’s character “isn’t worth his or our time.”