TV film fare -- week of June 12, 2022

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of June 12. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence, and sexual situations.

Sunday, June 12, noon-2:30 p.m. EDT (A&E) "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016). Tom Cruise, in his second venture as the former Army officer-turned-freelance-detective invented by British novelist Lee Child, is as durable as a cast-iron stove. A somewhat mysterious knight-errant, Reacher is a strong moralist according to his own lights and descends into others' predicaments like a deus ex machina. This go-round, he comes to the rescue of a military-intelligence operative (Cobie Smulders) who has been framed on an espionage charge involving murders in Afghanistan. He also learns that he may have a teenage daughter (Danika Yarosh) from a previous fling. The difference between this film and the 2012 original, in which Cruise sulked through Pittsburgh, is that director Edward Zwick, who co-wrote the screenplay with Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskovitz, provides occasional moments of pleasantly acidic domestic bickering. That helps break up the narrow escapes, shootings and slugfests -- as well as the long sequences during which cast members simply break into a sprint. Stylized violence, including gunplay, fleeting crude and crass language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Monday, June 13, 5:30-8 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Stillwater" (2021). Five years after his college-age daughter (Abigail Breslin), an exchange student, was imprisoned in Marseille for the murder of her lesbian lover, a crime of which she insists she is innocent, an unemployed and widowed oil-rig worker (Matt Damon) from the Oklahoma city of the title relocates to the French port to follow up a new lead in the case, eventually bonding with the single mother (Camille Cottin) and young girl (Lilou Siauvaud) with whom he lodges. But his prospects for emotional fulfillment are threatened by the rashness with which he is willing to act to find the real culprit behind the killing. Directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy, the bleak yet touching drama is effective on a personal level as it examines the strained relationship between the protagonist parent and his alienated adult child and as a study of the clash between the values of the American heartland and those of Europe, including the piety displayed by Damon's character to the mildly amused bewilderment of those around him. Its brief forays into overtly political territory are far feebler. Mature themes, including homosexuality and suicide, cohabitation, a premarital bedroom scene, a few mild oaths, frequent rough and crude language, some crass expressions. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Monday, June 13, 9:45-11:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "What's the Matter with Helen?" (1971). Two mothers (Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters) with a troubled past start a dance school for children in 1930s Hollywood until poor Shelley goes bonkers and puts her entire rabbit warren to the knife. Director Curtis Harrington has a lot of fun with the gaudy period settings and fashions but mixes in a bit too much blood and gore for younger viewers -- though they wouldn't appreciate Reynolds' tap dances and tangos anyway. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Tuesday, June 14, 5:30-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Draft Day" (2014). Producer-director Ivan Reitman tackles the National Football League draft in this rather parochial sports drama about the extreme measures professional teams will take to sign the top players coming out of college. The film centers on the fictitious general manager (Kevin Costner) of the real-life Cleveland Browns who's beset by troubles as the annual process begins. His colleague and girlfriend (Jennifer Garner) has announced she's pregnant. His acerbic mother (Ellen Burstyn) is a mess, grieving the death of her husband, the former Browns coach. The present occupant of that job (Denis Leary) has threatened to quit. And the owner (Frank Langella) is expecting big results from the draft. Things begin to look up thanks to a deal with a rival team involving the rights to a star quarterback (Josh Pence), but the bargain seems too good to be true. Ultimately, this is a film for confirmed football fans. Others will wish they had a rulebook to follow all the complex regulations -- as well as a guide to the many cameo appearances by celebrity players and sports announcers. A premarital situation, brief, partially obscured rear nudity, frequent profanity and rough language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Friday, June 17, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) "The Harvey Girls" (1946). Lightweight musical set in the Old West where a railroad town is tamed by the opening of a Harvey restaurant, one of whose waitresses (Judy Garland) separates an honest casino owner (John Hodiak) from his greedy dance hall girlfriend (Angela Lansbury). Directed by George Sidney, the songs are agreeable, with comic diversions supplied by Ray Bolger, Virginia O'Brien, Marjorie Main and Chill Wills. But the cast is a lot better than the thin story deserves. Frontier violence, including a roomful of brawling women, and romantic complications. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.  

Saturday, June 18, 8-9:50 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Non-Stop" (2014). A troubled air marshal (Liam Neeson) with a drinking problem finds himself bewildered when an anonymous murderer aboard the transatlantic flight he's been assigned to protect succeeds in making it appear as though he is the one felling his fellow passengers. He enlists the help of a newfound acquaintance (Julianne Moore), the traveler in the seat next to his, as well as that of a veteran stewardess (Michelle Dockery) who is a longtime friend. But mutual mistrust hampers the trio's efforts to identify and stop the perpetrator. The rapid pace and frequent plot twists of director Jaume Collet-Serra's thriller divert attention from its improbabilities. Though the protagonist's habit of severely smacking down all who get in his way -- together with a bit of risque humor -- sets this popcorn movie off limits for kids, most grownups will likely handle such turbulence without much difficulty. Considerable harsh but mostly bloodless violence, brief nongraphic sexual activity between incidental characters, some adult references, numerous uses of profanity, at least one instance of the F-word, several crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, June 18, 9:27-10:52 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "The Animal" (2001). Mildly amusing comedy about a police cadet (Rob Schneider) who receives animal parts as transplants after a near-fatal car crash in a remote mountain area and soon finds himself taking on the primal traits of these creatures. As directed by Luke Greenfield, the silly premise produces a few humorous moments and sight gags, but the muddled ending is forced. Occasional sexual innuendo, fleeting rear nudity and brief crass language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.