25 One-Sentence Movie Reviews

As late spring turns to summer, we are rewarded with a couple true cinematic gemstones earning my top high-5, 5-finger rating — plus a few duds that make watching a cat sleep seem exciting by comparison.

Below are 25 film reviews from the last couple months, each summarized in a single sentence. Films are rated on a scale from 0 (“The Dreaded Fist of Badness”) up to a “high 5,” an outstanding film you do not want to miss.

Two this month are among the year’s very best — absolutely terrific movies — and well worth a night out to enjoy.

Here we go:

I Saw the Light – 2 fingers.  This biopic about country music legend Hank Williams’ ascent and demise lacks cohesion and fire, which negates good performances by Brit Tom Hiddleston as Williams and Elizabeth Olsen as the Alabama crooner’s first wife.

Everybody Wants Some!! – 3 fingers. Richard Linklater’s good but not great ensemble comedy set in 1976 centers on mayhem instigated by a college baseball team when teammates arrive on campus three days before classes begin.

The Invitation – 4 fingers. This excellent psychological thriller about an unexpected dinner party reunion thoroughly entertains, and builds beautifully toward a truly great finish.

Demolition – 3 fingers.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper work well together in this New York based drama about an eccentric young money manager who struggles to deal with the aftershocks of his seemingly loving and innocent wife’s sudden, unexpected death.

The First Monday in May –3 fingers. This well made fashion world documentary about the Metropolitan Museum’s annual fund raising extravaganza that merges celebrity with couture shares the story of 2015’s honoring of Chinese fashion influence.

Barbershop: The Next Cut – 4 fingers. Ice Cube and Common deliver strong performances in this well-made family-centered comedy about rising gang violence in southside Chicago, a film that deftly blends a thoughtful story with uplifting execution.

A Hologram for the King – 2 fingers. Tom Hanks turns in a fine performance as a broken middle-aged man trying to save his career by selling technology to the King of Saudi Arabia, but this tepid work—which features the best opening scene of any film this year—has too many holes for even a legend to fill.

Midnight Special – 4 fingers. This well made sci-fi drama about a desperately determined father’s efforts to protect his young (and different) son is fresh, entertaining, and harkens back to some classics of previous decades.

London Has Fallen – 2 fingers. One of the more preposterous action films of recent years, Gerard Butler plays the President’s bodyguard and singlehandedly wipes out about 6,000 bad guys before hurrying back home to paint his newborn child’s nursery.

Criminal – 2 fingers. Gary Oldman’s supporting performance is the only redeeming aspect of this springtime slice of bad cinema, a London-based drama about an experimental neurosurgeon who can transfer memories from one brain to another—but proved unable to do so for the director.

Dough – 3 fingers. This happy, uplifting British comedy about a struggling old Jewish baker who befriends a young Darfur immigrant—who doubles much-needed store sales after accidentally mixing a bag of pot into a large batch of dough—is lifted to enjoyable heights thanks to a superb starring performance by veteran Welsh actor Jonathan Price.

The Jungle Book – 4 fingers. Director Jon Favreau does a wonderful job with this children’s classic and, although two hours seems a bit long, the quality of the team’s work delivers a most enjoyable film, especially when viewed in 3-D.

Miles Ahead – 3 fingers. Don Cheadle’s respectful biopic about jazz trumpeter Miles Davis’s five lost years due to drug and alcohol confusion will appeal to music afficionados more than casual filmgoers and suffers a bit from the title character’s complex eccentricities and the director’s relentless reliance on choppy flashbacks.

Sing Street – 4 fingers. This heartwarming, low-budget Irish movie about a high school student in depressed mid-1970s Dublin who starts a band in order to attract a girl he has a crush on is a lot of fun from start to inspiring finish.

Keanu – 2 fingers. This thin, drawn out, urban comedy about a guy looking for a cat would have been far better as a comedic short than feature film, or if the cat turned on him and ate his face.

The Man Who Knew Infinity – 4 fingers. Jeremy Irons and Dev Patel team perfectly in this fact-based drama set in the 1920s about the short but brilliant life of an uneducated but now legendary mathematics genius from rural India.

The Nice Guys – 3 fingers. Many seem to like it more than me, but this buddy comedy with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as pay-for-hire thug private eyes starts fast but slows to a crawl before culminating with a hollow and unsatisfying finish.

A Bigger Splash – 5 fingers. One of the year’s best films, Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes headline a perfect cast in this engrossing drama about an aging rock singer’s surgical recovery in an anonymous part of Italy, a quiet event suddenly disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a bombastic former lover and his love child daughter.

Love & Friendship – 4 fingers. Kate Beckinsale is absolutely radiant in this fun British period comedy about a pretty young widow who shows up unexpectedly at her wealthy in-laws’ country estate and proceeds to happily manipulate a series of wanting suitors as she searches for a new husband.

Money Monster – 3 fingers. Director Jody Foster’s unevenly made story about a TV talking head stock tout (George Clooney) taken hostage in the studio by a disgruntled young blue collar man who has lost his life’s savings is slow to unfold, preposterous at times, and overdone too frequently before finally building to a decent Act Three climax.

The Meddler – 3 fingers. Despite its low budget, Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, and J. K. Simmons team up to deliver a fun and at times witty story about a hovering widow who struggles to start a new life after relocating to Los Angeles to be near her grown daughter.

Dark Horse – 3 fingers. This retrospective Irish documentary about a group of blue collar pub drinkers who kick in micro-money each week to fund their pipe dream—breeding and racing a champion race horse—shares a true, heartwarming story about how sometimes in life, good fortune touches the truly deserving.

The Lobster – 5 fingers. This remarkably creative high-concept story examines the truth and consequences of busted adult relationships in a way that is fresh, clever, and adeptly written—and ends with a quiet, odd conclusion that keeps you thinking for days.

Maggie’s Plan – 3 fingers. Greta Gerwig plays (another) angst-ridden New York single girl, Ethan Hawke plays (another) mixed-up husband, and Julianne Moore (as usual) steals the show with another splendid performance, this time as the abandoned wife in this good contemporary dramedy about kids and choices in a world where marital bliss seems oxymoronic.

Conjuring 2 – 3 fingers. Vera Farmiga carries this entertaining fright night sequel about demonic possession, which isn’t as good as the original but good enough to pacify scary movie fans who appreciate a professional, well made film.

As usual let me know if I’m right or wrong and stay tuned for summer blockbuster season, which looms dead ahead. Support your favorite artists and disappear inside a theater. Nothing beats a terrific film on the big screen.

Well, almost nothing.

See you at the movies!