Kevin James and the Shifting Nature of the Everyman

For MEL, I wrote about the King of Queens star, who for a brief moment seemed to be on the way to movie stardom. What happened? I think there are two factors at play. I get into both here.

Jerry Gergich and the Rise of the TV Schlub

With Kevin Can Wait premiering last night, I was thinking of the popularity of sitcoms starring dumpy everymen. And I decided to write about the greatest of them all, Jerry from Parks and Recreation. And, really, he's so different than his schlub contemporaries. For MEL, I explain why, really, the character type should have died with Jerry.

'Little Boy' Review

The inspirational, faith-based World War II drama Little Boy opens later this month and will perhaps appeal to the same audience that turned out for Heaven Is For Real. It's about a young boy who believes that if he follows a local priest's instructions for being a good person, his beloved father will return home safely from the war. But can the boy show kindness to a Japanese-American man after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Lots of teachable moments, lots of me checking my watch. I reviewed Little Boy for Screen International.

What Am I Going to Do With You, Kevin James?

For years, I've been convinced that Kevin James could be a movie star: He's got a light touch and a sweetness that's rare. Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to root for him when he makes movies like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Zookeeper. On the occasion of his latest, Here Comes the Boom, I decided to look back at his career up to this point. You can read my piece over at IFC Fix.

Back Stage: A Very Good Movie Weekend, Including 'Middle of Nowhere'

This week's Back Stage column is full of choice offerings, and I'm not just saying that because four of the six films I reviewed are at least partly set in Los Angeles. Argo is solidly entertaining, but I also got a big kick out of Seven Psychopaths and Smashed. (Even Here Comes the Boom is better than expected.) But I'd like to draw your attention to the low-budget gem Middle of Nowhere. It's probably the lowest-profile film in this week's column, but it may be the best of the bunch. Read on for more info.

'zookeeper' review

I like Kevin James. Really, I do. I thought he was really fun in Hitch, which made me hopeful he could transition from TV to film smoothly. Instead, we get Paul Blart: Mall Cop and, now, Zookeeper, which, honestly, may be even worse. I detail the movie's many, many problems over at Screen International.

(Update: Should you doubt my sincerity about liking James, check out what I said about Paul Blart at the time. See? I really do like the guy.)

paul blart: mall cop

I like Kevin James. I liked him on The King of Queens (most of the time), and I liked him in Hitch. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, his first starring vehicle, is something else entirely. My review is up at Screen International.