Breaking and Entering

3 stars out of 5

It was one of those least common denominator situations. Vicki simply won't go to see Venus, and we'd seen just about everything else that was around, but she had no clients Tuesday night and we wanted to go out. We're both interested in Namesake, but it opened on March 10 in SF, and won't hit the suburbs until March 17.

You'd think a movie with Jude Law and Robin Wright Penn would open wide, but it was playing at a mere 24 theaters last week, grossing $444,000 and flying under most people's radar. Which is a shame, because it is actually an entertaining and thought-provoking film. When I say entertaining, by the way, I do not mean funny and amusing; it is neither of those. But it is well-written, well-plotted and well-paced, thought provoking and not leaden in the way issue movies sometimes are. Plus it features multiple scenes of Parkour, freestyle urban jumping from building to building--the primary supporting actor uses his Parkour skills to commit burglaries. It is a psychological drama, stretched in a few places, but (thank heavens) moderately discreet in the sex scenes. Good, not great. Not a bad compromise if you can't find anything else you want to see at this dreadful movie-going time of year.