Les Misérables, This Is 40, and The Doctor’s Wife

In theaters: This is misery

Les Misérables (Universal): The 21st century has not been kind to the movie musical. Big screen adaptations of Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Nine, Mamma Mia, The Producers and Rock of Ages were all dismal artistic failures. A few exceptions, such as Sweeney Todd, Chicago, Dreamgirls and Hedwig and the Angry Inch don't necessarily bode well for the genre.

The movie musical version of Les Misérables (Universal), one of the greatest and bleakest tragedies in literary history, is arriving in multiplexes in time to spread some (questionable) winter holiday cheer. A long-running success on Broadway (16 years in its original run), the stage musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's epic novel by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer was also a hit in London's West End.

Spanning a nearly 20 year tumultuous period in France, from 1815 to 1832, Les Miz parallels the intimate and complex relationship between paroled convict 24601 aka Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and his relentless pursuer Javert (an utterly out of his league Russell Crowe) with the ongoing revolutionary atmosphere stirred up by the disparity between the poor and the upper class. As a free man, Valjean reinvents himself as the proprietor of a successful factory, almost going unnoticed by Javert.

(Image: Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables. Courtesy: Universal)

Fantine (Ann Hathaway in an Oscar-caliber performance), a single mother who tries to keep her head down and do her job, becomes the object of attention not just to a perverse factory foreman but also to her envious co-workers. A factory floor confrontation leads to Fantine losing her job and turning to a life of desperation (she sells her hair, teeth and turns tricks) in order to send money to the innkeepers caring for her young daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen).

This is where Les Miz's meager comic relief arrives, in the guise of the innkeepers, Thénardier (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Madame Thénardier (Helena Bonham Carter in yet another costume drama). But it's all too brief. When Valjean comes to Fantine's rescue (much too late to be of any good), he vows to find Cosette and take her into his care.

As years pass, Javert's pursuit of Valjean doesn't relent, keeping Valjean and Cosette on the lam. Meanwhile, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) has grown into a young woman who has gained the interests of Marius (Eddie Redmayne), a revolutionary with a trust fund. Marius is so smitten that he is unaware that Eponine (Samantha Barks), the daughter of the Thénardiers is in love with him. More drama? You bet! Revolution and ruthlessness, young love and bloodshed, the miseries of Les Misérables combine for more than two and half hours of dreary dramatics.

The sung-through Les Miz boasts a memorable score, including showstoppers such as "I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "At The End of the Day," "Bring Him Home," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." In the right hands, such as those of Hathaway, Jackman and Redmayne, the songs' impact is effective. But Tom Hooper's direction is so clunky and awkward it makes you miss Rob Marshall's touch. All we can do is wait for the film version of "Miss Saigon" and hope for the best.

This Is 40 (Universal): About 40 minutes too long, Judd Apatow's latest adult comedy This Is 40 retains his trademark body function/image humor crossed with gift for dialogue while revealing a more personal touch. What begins as a humorous look at aging (and denial), and the toll that it takes on the mind and body, quickly begins to sprawl in various directions, losing and regaining focus like a pair of middle-aged eyes in need of glasses.

Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann, Apatow's wife), and their daughters Sadie (Apatow and Mann's daughter Maude) and Charlotte (Apatow and Mann's daughter Iris – see a pattern emerging?), live in a nice house in Southern California. Debbie, who is the same age as Pete, has trouble owning up to their 40th birthdays, with their shared party days away. The proprietor of a struggling boutique, Debbie suspects that one of her two employees – Desi (Megan Fox) or Jodi (Charlayne Yi) is dipping into the cash register.

(Image: Lisa Mann and Paul Rudd. Courtesy: Universal)

Viagra dependent music lover Pete is having his own financial troubles. The indie record label he started is struggling and he has pinned all of his hopes on the Graham Parker and the Rumour reunion disc that he is releasing. Meanwhile, he has missed mortgage payments, while lending money to his father Larry (Albert Brooks). The family interactions, between husband and wife and parents and children (of all ages), are mildly amusing and entertaining.

Before long everything begins to come apart at the seams, including the movie itself. Pete and Debbie, who originally appeared in Apatow's Knocked Up, are better in small doses, begging the question of whether dedicating an entire movie to them is a solid idea. This Is 40 does have some interesting ideas on the whole – what gets lost in the business of music, how our bodies begin to betray us as we age, the dangers of keeping secrets and judging people based on physical appearance, the cruelty of adolescents and adults who behave like adolescents. Unfortunately, they get mired in tired bits involving the age-old Jews vs. Gentiles shtick and adults still trying to come to terms with issues involving their own parents.

This Is 40's brightest spot belongs to professional scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy. As she did in Bridesmaids, McCarthy owns every frame in which she appears as Catherine, the outraged mother of Joseph (Ryan Lee), a cyber-bully classmate of Sadie's.

(Image: Melissa McCarthy and Paul Rudd. Courtesy: Universal)

Home viewing: Foreign affairs

Australian doc filmmaker Jonathan Duffy doesn't think he did anything all that spectacular in spite of always being told that what he did was amazing, something he considers to be humbling. According to him, all he did was go along for the ride by being a supportive partner. Other people's opinions aside, Duffy has never done anything but be himself. In The Doctor's Wife (Guest House), he recounts the tale of how he and his partner Dr. Vincent Cornelisse took a life-changing step together.

Jono and Vincent's story begins in August 2006 when Jono, an actor, met med school student Vincent and a week later they moved in together. As a med student, Vincent had signed a scholarship contract to be a country doctor in Mundubbera (rural Queensland) in return for financial support. While the prospect of the solid experience that Vincent would acquire probably sounded like a good idea, the couple didn't necessarily anticipate what might await them once they hit the countryside. Mixed reactions from friends included both support and concern about Jono and Vincent being "the only gays in the village"; a situation they'd never been in before.

Giving up their beautiful Brisbane city apartment (with a pool) to move to a country town of 1,095 where agricultural and forestry were the predominant industries, the couple was entering uncharted territory. Vincent and Jono (who introduced himself to the locals as "the housewife") received an assortment of interesting reactions from the residents, many of which were better than they had anticipated. Some people were happy offer advice about the town and their fellow residents. And while it was statistically impossible for Jono and Vincent to be the only gays in town, it was clear that there wouldn't be too many other closet doors flung open.

As it turns out, the "doctor's wife thing" wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Vincent worked constantly, the doctor job being "all-encompassing, all consuming," and the demands on Vincent were bigger than before. With lots of spare time, not to mention loneliness and boredom setting in, as well as the threat of becoming a "raging alcoholic," Jono needed to find something to fill his days. A grant he applied for, to run a short film workshop for kids, got approved and soon he was making a name for himself. Not realizing that people were hungry for arts and media in Mundubbera, the workshop was a huge success for Jono, leading to more work for him, including an artist-in-residence in another town. Additionally, the workshop was a positive experience for kids who came to realize that Jono (and by extension Vincent) was just like they are.

Not that there weren't issues. At Easter time, for instance, an anti-gay pharmacist tried to make trouble for the couple. But by that time, Jono and Vincent's efforts to become part of the community worked tin their favor. Of course, Vincent being the well-respected doctor helped them. Jono's theory of "forced tolerance" and his being the epitome of a doctor's wife also had a favorable impact on the community. They went out of their way to mixed w wide variety of people and in some ways even broke the ice for other LGBT folks in town. Once they became "flesh and blood" people, the townsfolk grew to be fond and accepting of them.

But all good things eventually come to an end and Vincent's dissatisfaction with the way the medical practice was being run forces him to consider leaving, after just having won over the townspeople.

Devastating to everyone, especially Jono, it's the emotional peak of the film. At the same time, it is the place where all the lessons come together. The way that the couple put themselves out there— something that is reiterated throughout the film—their involvement in the community left a lasting legacy and brought a tiny rural community together.

Duffy makes good use of visual effects throughout the doc. He also makes his interview subjects—friends, family, co-workers and the people of Mundubbera— at ease before the camera, which in turn allows them to open up and be honest in what they say. DVD special features include audio commentary, deleted scenes and more.

In the queer Swedish election year comedy Four More Years (TLA), married Liberal Party Chairman David (Björn Kjellman) seemed to be the clear winner for Prime Minister. But the "abortion-hating," homophobic Christian democrats cost the liberals the election, leading to four more years of Social Democratic rule. When David meets gay "socialist thug" Martin (Eric Ericson), assistant to the reelected PM, he finds himself attracted to him. Martin, the kind of guy who takes a phone call mid-fellatio, is suddenly single after boyfriend Hugo (Richard Ulfsäter) throws him out for taking a phone call, well, mid-fellatio.

After discovering that they share a fondness for `80s Swedish pop, a flirtation begins between David and Martin. Dinner and drinks leads to much more. David wants to forget it ever happened, but Martin has other ideas. A visit to David's parents' house virtually seals the deal, but David remains conflicted, even though David's liberal Baptist mother Ingrid (Inger Heyman) unknowingly takes a liking to Martin. Meanwhile, ambitious David's wife Fia (Tova Magnusson-Marling, also the film's director) is trying to resuscitate his flagging political career.

A case of bad timing, the reappearance of Martin's ex Hugo, and Fia's nonchalant recognition of David's homosexuality, among other issues, threatens to throw a wrench in everything. If you think that David and Martin's unlikely relationship is a surprise, then prepare yourself for the twists and turns that lead up to the winning conclusion. Funny, sexy and very timely, "Four More Years" deserves your vote. The DVD, in Swedish with English subtitles, contains no bonus material.