Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The week’s openings: The yuks take precedence

Dan Webster

Note: This post has been updated.

It's a week for laughter, assuming you find humor in movie versions of popular apps, mother-daughter comedies, buddy comedies and Seth Rogen. Anyway, Friday's scheduled mainstream releases are as follows:

"Angry Birds": It may be one of the most-downloaded apps of all time, but even when voiced by actors such as Peter Dinklage, Jason Sudekis and Kate McKinnon, what's needed here is a killer script. Or any script at all. Time will tell.

"The Meddler": Newly widowed, a woman (Susan Sarandon) moves across the country to be closer to her unmarried daughter (Rose Byrne). Imagine the potential for comic high jinks.

"Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising": Rogen and co-sars Rose Byrne and Zac Efron are back. But this time Efron and his pals are not the problem. The women of a local sorority are. As if.

"The Nice Guys": Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe star as mismatched investigators trying to find a young woman in danger in this period-piece crime caper/comedy. Let's hope all the good scenes haven't been wasted in the interminable trailers that have been running for what seems like the past three years.

That's it for the moment. Stay tuned for updates.