At the Movies: capsule reviews of ‘The Proposal’ and other films this week

Capsule reviews: ‘The Proposal’ and other films

Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

“Food, Inc.” — You put food in your mouth every day. But do you know exactly what you’re consuming when you pick up chicken breasts at the grocery store or drive though a fast-food restaurant for a quick cheeseburger? Or do you even bother to care? Probably not, says documentarian Robert Kenner — and you should. Kenner presents an even-tempered but nonetheless horrifying dissection of the U.S. food industry, where corporate-owned, mass-produced and chemically enhanced edibles can be unhealthy at best and deadly at worst. One look inside a cramped, dusty chicken house — where the birds are so puffed up from being stuffed with chemicals, they collapse under the weight of their breasts and die before they can be slaughtered — will make you think twice about how you spend your money at the supermarket. Similar to Al Gore’s warnings about climate change in the Oscar-winning “An Inconvenient Truth,” Kenner’s findings — with significant contributions from authors Eric Schlosser (”Fast Food Nation”) and Michael Pollan (”The Omnivore’s Dilemma”) — produce a cumulative effect that’s depressing. But he balances that sense of helplessness with evidence that organic foods are becoming more prevalent, and with suggestions of how individual consumers can affect change through their purchasing decisions. Not rated but contains disturbing images. 93 min. Three stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“The Proposal” — All the romantic comedy conventions are shamelessly on parade here, trampling on our brains and turning them into mush. They include an uptight character who literally lets her hair down to show she’s loosening up, a spontaneous sing-along, wacky relatives, a shocking mid-wedding revelation, a mad dash to the airport and, finally, some very public I-love-yous. Where is the creativity, people? By definition, this is a predictable genre — a guy and a girl who are clearly meant for each other eventually end up together, despite the many madcap obstacles and misunderstandings that come their way. We know the destination before we even park the car at the multiplex; it’s how we get there that matters. “The Proposal” seemed to be getting there with some spark and ingenuity, led by a couple of actors with solid comic chops. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are both well suited for snappy banter and they play off each other with some nice friction off the top. Bullock has always shown a flair for physical humor, but here she gets a chance to play a scheming, tyrannical book editor, which is a refreshing change from her frequently daffy winsomeness. But Anne Fletcher (who also directed the by-the-numbers “27 Dresses”) and screenwriter Peter Chiarelli obliterate any good will they’d generated when “The Proposal” turns gushy and goes precipitously downhill. Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, a Canadian who’s on the verge of being deported. She blackmails her put-upon assistant, Andrew (Reynolds), into marrying her to stay in the country. Think they’ll fall in love for real? PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language. 104 min. Two stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“Whatever Works” — Woody Allen continues in whatever-works mode, churning out another slight plot with slighter characters and lackadaisical storytelling that recycles enough of the neuroses-fueled charm of his earlier films to keep him in business. Kindred soul Larry David, co-creator of “Seinfeld” and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is Allen’s ranting, curmudgeonly stand-in, a suicidal misanthrope who never met a person with whom he couldn’t find extreme fault. For his first film back in New York after four shot in Europe, Allen manages his best string of one-line zingers in a long while. He throws in a May-December romance involving a naive Southern runaway (Evan Rachel Wood) and some radical Manhattan transformations for her conservative parents (Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr.). It’s all contrivance, as is the performance from David, who smirks his way through the movie, delivering hearty laughs but never quite capturing the melancholy and self-loathing underlying his character’s bluster. PG-13 for sexual situations including dialogue, brief nude images and thematic material. 92 min. Two stars out of four.

— David Germain, AP Movie Writer

“Year One” — Making a solid summer comedy starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross and Hank Azaria should be so easy, a caveman could do it. Somehow, despite the presence of those reliable actors and the highly advanced skills of comic veterans Harold Ramis and Judd Apatow behind the scenes, “Year One” manages to be a dud. A few amusing moments and ideas pop up here and there, but more often the script feels flat, with a needlessly heavy reliance on scatological gags. (Director Ramis co-wrote it with “The Office” writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg; he and Apatow are among the producers.) Black’s character literally eats feces at one point, while Cera’s urinates all over himself — upside down; it could be a metaphor for what everyone is stuck doing in this movie. Black and Cera star as hunter Zed and gatherer Oh, mismatched Neanderthals who are banished from their village after Zed eats some forbidden fruit. Basically this allows Black to be Black (manic, unhinged but always overconfident) and Cera to be Cera (awkward, sarcastic but always sweet). Not much heavy lifting required of either of them. Zed and Oh set off on a road trip that takes them from their primitive land to a series of biblical settings, including encounters with Cain and Abel (Cross and an uncredited Paul Rudd) and Abraham and Isaac (Azaria and Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Ramis seems to be aiming for his own version of the Mel Brooks classic “History of the World: Part 1,” but there’s nothing terribly memorable about these adventures. PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence. 97 min. One and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic