In theaters: Identity Thief

In theaters: Let me see your ID

Identity Thief (Universal), a movie about characters who go too far, is also a movie that goes too far. Extreme physical comedy and absurd sight gags conspire to work against the humor. It's as if director Seth (Horrible Bosses) Gordon and screenwriter Craig Mazin (Hangover Parts II and III) are having identity crises of their own.

Ruthless ID thief Diana (Melissa McCarthy in vivid clothing and virtual clown make-up and wig) snatches the identity of mild-mannered and clueless financial whiz Sandy (Jason Bateman) right out from under his nose. Of course it takes him a few days to discover the crime as he goes about his daily life with his pregnant wife Trish (Amanda Peet) and two young daughters in Denver.

Meanwhile, Diana, the other "Sandy," is racking up the charges on Sandy's credit cards in Winter Park, Florida. Once the circumstances are made clear, and become a threat to Sandy's family, and new employment situation, he devises a plan to travel south, snare the perpetrator and return to normal.

Little does he know that notorious throat-puncher Diana isn't going to be that easy to trap. Wiley and wicked, Diana is also being pursued by a pair of terrifying thugs – Marisol (Genesis Rodriguez) and Julian (T. I.), not to mention a determined bounty hunter (Robert Patrick).

There you have the setup for the catastrophic road movie that includes dizzying car chases and devastating car crashes, snakebites and torches, a sleazy-motel tryst with racist and homophobic Big Chuck (Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family), an attempt at high stakes revenge, a variety of degrading scenes and so on. However, it's following a post-humiliation salon transformation where we see an unexpected side of Diana (one that surfaces again late in the film) that indicates exactly what McCarthy is capable of doing. We know she can do funny, but just imagine what she can do with dramatic.

Too long by at least 30 minutes, when all is said and done, Identity Thief isn't sure if it wants to be a buddy movie or an over-the-top shock-fest. The only theft that occurs here is that almost two hours of your life are stolen from you.

At home: Les miserables

Little White Lies (MPI/Europa) is a French Big Chill right down to the sixties/Motown soundtrack. It begins with "total head case" Ludo (Jean Dujardin of The Artist), high on various substances, leaving a raucous night club at dawn on his scooter and getting slammed into by a truck. He is visited In the intensive care unit by his gang of close friends, including sometime girlfriend, bi Marie (Marion Cotillard), hot but dumb Antoine (Laurence Lafitte), massage therapist Vincent (Benoît Magimel), actor Eric (Gilles Lellouche), opera singer Lea (Louise Monot) and Juliette (Anne Marivin).

With their summer holiday approaching, the friends must decide whether to cancel or depart on their annual voyage to the home of the wealthy and wise Max (François Cluzet, sort of a French Dustin Hoffman). The consensus is to go, but shorten the length of their stay. As if Ludo's condition wasn't enough to set the tone for the trip, married Vincent's private admission to equally straight buddy Max that he finds himself inexplicably attracted to him casts an unexpected pall over the festivities.

Nevertheless there is an assortment of comedic situations to balance out the drama. The characters communicate with each other the way longtime friends do and it is often a pleasure to watch their interactions. While Little White Lies' gay angle is not a component of The Big Chill, it still maintains the spirit of homage. The ensemble of characters smoke pot, discuss their attractions and missed opportunities, pine over past successes and failures, and attempt to make the best of the situation while tragedy looms large.

The tension grows heavier over the course of the film, a counterpoint to the tranquil Cap Ferret setting. As the story progresses it leads to a pair of devastating confrontations and revelations and a full-on tearjerker of a conclusion. At more than 2 ½ hours in length, Little White Lies, in French with English subtitles, is a big commitment, but then so is friendship. Blu-ray special features include a "behind the scenes" featurette.

Before she lost her head for her country, Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) lost her head for Sidonie (Lea Seydoux), a lady-in-waiting who became the queen's favorite reader in Farewell, My Queen (Cohen Media/eOne). Spanning the first few tumultuous July 1789 days of the French Revolution, Farewell, My Queen opens with a shot illustrating the vast differences between the worlds outside of and within the walls of the Palace of Versailles. As bread becomes scarcer in Paris, the question becomes how safe it is for the king and queen and their staff of servants.

Devoted and discreet, but clumsy, Sidonie is regularly summoned to read to Marie-Antoinette. Their relationship, which alternates between formal and casual, intensifies as France is plagued with unrest. Flirty and flitty, Marie-Antoinette is also infatuated with the duchess Gabrielle de Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen), a fact of which Sidonie is well aware. The queen is not the only one with other amorous pursuits. Sidonie and gondolier, penniless actor and natural born liar René (Vladimir Consigny) have also been eyeing one another.

As the events of revolt continue to mount, including the storming of the Bastille and word that rebellion is about to burst out all over the kingdom, Sidonie is comforted by librarian Moreau (Michel Robin). Nevertheless, there is panic in the palace. A pamphlet, containing the names of almost 300 heads to be cut off for "necessary reform," has been circulating and even makes its way into the hands of the Queen. At her drama-queen best, Marie-Antoinette makes one final demand of Sidonie, in which the Queen's beloved reader (and secret embroiderer) will have the chance to make the ultimate sacrifice – herself.

In French with English subtitles, Farewell, My Queen is a royal costume drama, with emphasis on both the costumes and the drama. The movie belongs to Seydoux, who gives Sidonie a combination of wide-eyed innocence and the cold stare of experience. She is the primary reason to say hello to Farewell, My Queen. Blu-ray features include an interview with writer/director Benoit Jacquot, as well as on-set interviews.