Video Reviews: 'Nurse Betty,' '102 Dalmatians'

'Nurse Betty' (R)

If you like your movies offbeat, then tune into the alternate reality of "Nurse Betty."

"Nurse Betty" is not really a character in the film, per se, but someone who small-town Kansas waitress named Betty Sizemore (Renee Zellweger) wants to be. Caught up in the fantasy world of the soap opera "A Reason to Love," Betty leads a lackluster existence as a dreamer who longs for love with the soap's lead character, Dr. David Ravell, played by actor George McCord (Greg Kinnear).

Reality, however, is much colder than her warm and fuzzy dreams: She's treated like dirt by her no-good car-dealer husband Del (Aaron Eckhart), who underhandedly leads a life as a philanderer who's into some shady business dealings.

But when she witnesses his grisly murder at the hands of a couple of hit men (Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock), Betty is suddenly shocked into an alternate reality in which her soap dreamboat really exists. Taking her hubby's car on a cross-country trip to find Ravell, Betty doesn't realize that the trunk is full of the loot -- and that the hit men are willing to get it back at any cost.

While the mainstream tone is no doubt lighter than director Neil La Bute's previous efforts, "In the Company of Men" and "Your Friends and Neighbors," it's not to say that "Nurse Betty" will cure you with all goodness and cheer. Even though it's edited with quick cuts, Del's death at Wesley's hands is brutally graphic, and Wesley's rough handling of some characters later in the film is by no means a laughing matter.

Blood aside, though, "Nurse Betty" is after all a dark comedy, albeit a crime comedy. That classification may seem oxymoronic, unless you are familiar with the Coen brothers' gem "Fargo." Much in the same way that the films of the Coen brothers work (with a dash of Quentin Tarantino for good measure), LaBute's "Nurse Betty" has enough odd complexity in lead characters, a colorful band of supporting roles and some nice twists to keep things interesting and unpredictable. --Tim Lammers

'102 Dalmatians' (PG)

There's no question that an animated classic and a successful live-action adaptation are both tough acts to follow, so let's be thankful that "102 Dalmatians" isn't for the dogs.

In yet another wonderfully over-the-top turn as Cruella De Vil, Glenn Close not only gets another killer wardrobe, but some complexity in her character to boot. She starts the film as a reformed fashion fur fiend with a passion for sheltering dogs, whose treatment eventually gives way to another pursuit of 102dalmatians (she not only wants a spotted puppy coat this time, but a hood to go with it).

Kids will likely revel in the screwball antics of the film, although it may be a bit tiring at times for adult chaperones. But that's not to say that "Dalmatians" entirely barks up the wrong tree.

Sure, the plot is predictable, but at least Close and co-stars Gerard Depardieu (as Cruella's fur-loving partner in crime), Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Evans and 102-plus dogs keep things entertaining. And even if the actors or dogs can't win you over, you're sure to chirp over a wisecracking parrot voiced by "Monty Python" vet Eric Idle. --Tim Lammers

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'The Legend of Bagger Vance' (PG-13)

Robert Redford steps behind the camera once again to direct the mystical fable "The Legend of Bagger Vance." Matt Damon stars as Rannulph Junuh, a washed-up golfer who, with the aid of a guardian angel caddie named Bagger Vance (Will Smith), hopes to get his swing back. Charlize Theron co-stars as Adele, Junuh's former love interest, who helps the struggling pro take a step back into the golfing arena by setting up a tournament with legendary golfer Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch).