In LA GRAINE ET LE MULET (or Couscous), the French have a go at dysfunctional family drama.  The story concerns Slimane (Habib Boufares), a 60-plus ex-boat repairer who decides to use his severance pay to open a restaurant on a boat with the help of his family.  His ex-wife cooks the house speciality – the fish couscous while his children serve.  The restaurant start-up is aided by the daughter (Hafsia Herzi) of Slimane’s new lover.  Kechiche’s script offers lots of opportunity for family arguments, which he orchestrates well towards the climax.

This film of underdog fighting big corporation FORD tells the story of an inventor and college professor by the name of Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear) who invented and perfected the intermittent windshield wiper.  Ford Motor Company stole his design.  Rejecting settlement after settlement, Kearns, to the consternation of his wife Phyllis (Lauren Graham) wants an apology and recognition of himself as the inventor.

Writer/director Simon Pegg’s (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, FUZZ, RUN FATBOY RUN) latest comedy is a deadbeat unoriginal rehashing of other films that leads nowhere.  Fortunately for Pegg, he only stars in the film and has no directorial or writing credit.

This is one kool super-smart teen JUNO-styled comedy.  First thing is that the film, written by Lorene Scafaria, based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan and directed by RAISING VICTOR VARGAS’ Peter Sollett knows what works and what does not.  Admirable is the way this straight film has all respect for gay culture. 

It seems that every aspiring actress wants a hand at doing the honors of a role of a dysfunctional person.  Anne Hathaway included!