Thanksgiving means many things to many people, but in Hollywood it's a reason to release movies on Wednesday and enjoy a long weekend of box office receipts. Three films will debut nationwide on Wednesday, before Americans are too stuffed with turkey and trimmings to get off the sofa and into theaters.
Finding Neverland (PG) stars Johnny Depp as playwright J.M. Barrie, creator of the classic tale Peter Pan. Kate Winslet co-stars as a widowed mother of four boys who become Barrie's muses during a summertime friendship. This gentle, elegant film is directed by Marc Forster; it's a distinct change from his gritty debut, Monster's Ball, which won an Academy Award for Halle Berry.
Alexander (R) is Oliver Stone's biography of the Macedonian king (circa 330 B.C.) who conquered the known world by the age of 25. Colin Farrell (Phone Booth, S.W.A.T.) plays the military legend, whose expansion of Greek culture through his conquests led to the rise of the Roman Empire and, eventually, the spread of Christianity.
Finally, there's Christmas with the Kranks (PG), based on the novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, an author (The Firm, The Pelican Brief) not exactly known for his comedic streak. Still, his writing has been tailored for laughs. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis play a married couple deciding to duck the commercialism of the holidays. That is, until their daughter (Julie Gonzalo) comes home.
Reviews of Finding Neverland, Alexander and Christmas with the Kranks will be published Wednesday in Floridian.
