Doug Bernheim Movies

A Palestinian single mother and her son resettle in the American Midwest with bittersweet results, in first-time director Cherien Dabis' gentle fish-out-of-water comedy drama Amreeka. Nisreen Faour stars as divorcée Mouna, a resident of the West Bank who works as a local bank manager while raising her 16-year-old son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), on the side. Each day, the two must put their lives in jeopardy by driving through potentially lethal Middle Eastern checkpoints to accomplish their daily business, but their situation changes dramatically when Mouna finally succeeds at getting a green card. The two fly from Jerusalem to Chicago, but get a bitter taste of the reality behind the American dream when the customs department claims the money that Mouna wrapped in a cookie tin, leaving her penniless. The nascent immigrants promptly move in with Mouna's sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass of Lemon Tree), and her family, and Mouna sets about trying to find a bank job in the U.S. that is equivalent to her old position at home; unfortunately, this proves impossible and she ends up serving "sliders" at a White Castle fast food franchise and earning minimum wage. Meanwhile, Fadi begins attending a local high school and runs headfirst into not-so-subtle racism and the imminent threat of nativistic violence. ~ All Movie Guide

Director Neil Burger's road movie The Lucky Ones stars Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Peña as three Iraq War veterans who take a road trip together. The trio meet on their way home from overseas with Fred Cheaver (Robbins) finishing his service once and for all, while the other two -- Colee Dunn (McAdams) and TK Poole (Peña) -- are about to enjoy 30 days of R and R. A blackout leads to the three renting a car together after their flight is indefinitely delayed, and driving from New York to Cheaver's home in St. Louis. Upon arrival, Cheaver learns that his wife wants a divorce, and his son needs 20,000 dollars in order to attend Stanford. Emotionally shaken, Cheaver tries to drop the other two off at the airport, but they refuse to go until they can help him through his troubles. The two of them, however, are going through their own issues. Poole suffered an injury while on duty that he worries will end his relationship with his girlfriend, and Dunn is trying to deliver a guitar to the parents of her deceased boyfriend, a fellow soldier who died overseas. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

This quirky comedy stars Cary Elwes as Erik Naybor, a motivational speaker and life coach who keeps his family on their toes with a rigorous schedule of physical exercises and psychological techniques. He seems on top of his game, not to mention his family's lives, until a delinquent nephew shows up who has info on Erik's not-so-perfect past. Suddenly, it looks like the rigid structure that Erik has built his life around may not be as sturdy as he thought. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

An aspiring small-town criminal edges in on the family business of an old acquaintance, only to find things quickly spinning out of control when an emotionally unstable cop begins investigating the case. Clueless criminal wannabe John "Rugged" Rudgate (Aaron Stanford) spends most of his time forging rebate coupons and selling speakers on the streets, but upon receiving a peculiar blast from the past he begins to dream of more lucrative criminal endeavors. It seems that John's old friend Jeff Lagrand (Paul Schneider) has arrived back in town to assist his sardonic sister (Zooey Deschanel) in maintaining the storage facility bestowed upon the pair by their recently deceased father. Of course, any self-respecting criminal would see this as an opportunity to make a pretty penny, and despite his small-time background Rugged is now ready to make the leap into the big leagues. Though his attempt to pry his way into the family business at first seems to be going along swimmingly, Rugged soon finds his criminal endeavors thwarted by a particularly sensitive cop (Michael Rapaport) who, despite his emotional fragility, remains determined to crack the case. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The true story of a man who, on February 22, 1974, was thwarted from an ambitious plan for political assassination provides the basis for this striking psychological drama. Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a salesman for an office-supply company whose life is slowly beginning to unravel. Bicke's job is going nowhere, his wife, Marie (Naomi Watts), has left him, and his boss (Jack Thompson) keeps pushing self-help books on him that make a mockery of his state of mind. One of Bicke's few friends is Bonny Simmons (Don Cheadle), an auto mechanic, and together they come up with an idea for a tire shop on wheels; while neither has the money to finance the project, Bicke has learned of a program for small-business loans instituted by President Richard Nixon, which he's certain will come through for him. But Bicke is denied his loan, which dovetails with his increasing suspicion of the president's Vietnam policies and a sudden interest in the "by any means necessary" political activism of the Black Panther Party. Desperate to seem important in some way, Bicke becomes increasingly obsessed with the duplicity of Richard Nixon, until he chooses to take it upon himself to stop the president once and for all. The Assassination of Richard Nixon was the first feature film from director Niels Mueller. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The reunion of a dysfunctional Texas family provides the setting for this somber drama from first-time writer/director Hyatt Bass. Letty (Karen Sillas), a successful artist, returns home for the first time in several years. The ostensible purpose of her visit is to attend a posh gallery showing of her work, but her return quickly opens the gates for a flood of recriminations and long-suppressed resentment from various family members. Her sister Kay (Heidi Swedberg) resents Letty's success, something she finds hard to accept given her own long-ago abandonment of a promising career as a singer. Kay has instead opted to raise a family with Jed (William Moses), whom she constantly berates for being an employee of her father, the mean-spirited Rick (Harris Yulin). Kay and Letty's mother Jo Beth (Shirley Knight), meanwhile, is a control freak who constantly undermines her daughters' confidence and makes the most of any opportunity to remind Letty that her professional success has come at the expense of her ability to find a husband. As the drama further unfolds, it becomes clear that Letty and Jed were childhood sweethearts before Kay nabbed Jed from her sister, and that all the members of their family are far from resolving any of their problems with one another. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide