New in theaters
New in theaters Baby Mama (PG-13)
Director: Michael McCullers. With Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear. (96 min.)
The pregnancy-movie craze shows no signs of abating, but not all bellies are created equal. "Baby Mama" is a disservice to Tina Fey, who is at her best playing characters who are whip-smart. Here, she's a clueless, single, organic-foods company executive who hires a tough-talking South Philadelphia chick, played by Amy Poehler, to act as a surrogate mother. Poehler is the life of the party and steals just about every scene, although there's not much to steal. Greg Kinnear plays the local grocer and does his mellow Mr. Right bit.
– Peter Rainer
Deal (PG-13)
Director: Gil Cates Jr. With Burt Reynolds, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly. (86 min.)
Cashing in on the poker craze, this movie tries to do for Texas hold 'em what "21" did for blackjack. Alex Stillman (Bret Harrison) has prospects to attend a major law school but dismays his parents by opting to play cards instead. Tommy Vinson (Burt Reynolds), a professional gambler who retired to keep his marriage together, sees his younger self in Alex and offers to mentor him. Predictably they end up on TV's "World Poker Tour." A raft of pros appear as themselves, but this story will likely seem less exciting than an actual competition.– M.K. Terrell
Roman de Gare (R)
Director: Claude Lelouche. With Dominique Pinon, Fanny Ardant, Audrey Dana. (103 min.)
The title of this Claude Lelouch film is meant to be ironic and refers to a popular romance novel genre – the sort sold in train stations. In fact, Lelouch means to transcend the genre. He doesn't really move much beyond his usual glib panache here, but the plot is intriguing and so are the actors. Dominique Pinon plays a ghost writer for a mystery novelist, played by Fanny Ardant. But is he also a serial killer? Pinon's foil here is a young woman, played by Audrey Dana, whom he meets at a gas station after she's been dumped by her boyfriend. Will they hit it off, or will he knock her off? – P.R.
