Netflix's latest: a James C. Strouse trifle titled THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES

Not terribly bad, but unfortunately not very good either, THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES, starring an either miscast or mis-directed Jessica Williams, makes its streaming debut via Netflix this Friday, July 28. As written and directed by James C. Strouse (shown below and who, as Jim Strouse, did a hell of a lot better with his earlier People Places Things), this thankfully short movie introduces us to a character who, in current rom-com fashion, is incredibly inappropriate.

Except when, conveniently, she isn't. This little matter of conveniences sticks out throughout the film like a sore thumb. You may notice it first as Jessica has a date with a new guy (Chris O'Dowd, as delightful and real as always) and suddenly decides to have a few "honest" moments. Great. But then we're back to the nonsense again. Our girl Jessica (below) is a control freak, and this is understandable when so many things in her life are going wrong -- from significant others to the workplace to her lifelong love of theater.

Nonetheless, the girl is, as they say, a handful, carrying her inappropriateness into every area of her life. At best she's mildly amusing; at worst, she's just annoying. -- never more so than at the family baby shower for her younger sister (below), at which her gift is both dumb and, yes, inappropriate.

The themes here include how to fit into things, what divorce does to children, hook-ups vs relationships, and commitment -- to everything from a man to the theater. Plenty of little life lessons are learned along the way, all worked out sweetly and conveniently, and, as with most rom-coms these days, much too quickly and easily.

I don't think I've seen Ms Williams in anything other than Mr. Strouse's earlier People Places Things, in which she was quite good. I suspect that she is not being shown to her best here, but as Mr. O'Dowd (above) notes at one point, she does have a beautiful smile.

If you're interested, the only place to see The Incredible Jessica James right now (starting this Friday, anyway) is via Netflix streaming. So: your move. (That's Lakeith Stanfield, above, left, who plays Jessica's ex very well, even though his character, too, seems only quasi-real.)

John Krasinski's sophomore directing effort -- THE HOLLARS -- opens in South Florida

The latest in the popular sub-genre of "Aren't-we-just-the-craziest-but-most-adorable-folk-ever?" has now arrived, and my answer to that question is a resounding No! After making a surprising, risky and generally well-done screenplay/ directorial debut with his adaptation of the David Foster Wallace story collection, Brief Interviews Wih Hideous Men, actor John Krasinski (shown below) has gone a good deal more mainstream with THE HOLLARS, his second effort as director.

Much of the credit for this very well-acted but too-often cringe-inducing piece of feel-good schlock must go to its screenwriter, Jim Strouse, who has an up-and-down track record so far as I'm concerned -- from the so-so Grace Is Gone to the much better People Places Things (both of which Strouse also directed) -- and here hands us a cast of characters so fucking quirky you'll want to sedate them forthwith.

Let's start with the Hollar son, Ron (played by South African actor Sharlto Copley, above, center), whose behavior goes from simply goofy to certifiable within minutes. Copley handles all this quite well. He's believable, but his character is simply not. Ditto the dad, Don, played by the ever-reliable Richard Jenkins (above, left), who offer up a will/won't, can/can't. happy/sad guy so utterly incompetent, you won't imagine he could ever have run his own business (well, it is going bankrupt. But still: How did he ever keep it afloat?).

The same can be said for the behavior of the hospital nurse, Jason (Charlie Day, above), who takes care of the Hollars ailing mom (the great Margo Martindale, below). Jason is so often so over-the-top, you'll roll your eyes and then some. So many characters here are so charmingly quirky that the movie begins to curdle early on. Ms Martindale -- by virtue of her skilled acting chops and refusal to overplay the quirks -- manages to keep the movie grounded whenever she's on screen. But that's not often enough.

Krasinski himself plays the more "normal" brother, John, who returns to the fold to aid his sick mom but turns out to have a usual rom-com problem of his own -- commitment phobia to his pregnant girlfriend (played with her usual sassy charm by Anna Kendrick, below, center, flanked by Krasinksi, left and Copley).

Also standing by, amongst a fine supporting cast, are Josh Groban (below, right), as the local minister, and that wonderful and recently BrainDead actress, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (at bottom), as Mr. Day's philandering spouse. As I say, the acting is first-rate all-around but is consistently done in by the too-muchness of the ridiculous story.

In its race toward the feel-good at all costs, the movie -- which purportedly deals with our difficult economic times and involves job loss and bankruptcy -- actually offers up one character from a rich-as-Croesus family who can and does solve financial problems with a wave of her economic wand. Think of it as the final insult.

A shoo-in for audiences who demand jerked tears, coy laughs and the warm-and-fuzzy above any real intelligence, this manufactured and manipulative movie is star-studded, beautifully-acted crap.

From Sony Pictures Classics and running a thankfully short 88 minutes, The Hollars, after debuting in the "big" cities a few weeks back, opens here in South Florida this Friday, September 16, at eleven different theaters --from Boca Raton to Delray Beach, Davie, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale and the greater Miami area. Click here, then scroll down, to view all the currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.

Feelings, responsibility and autonomy compete for attention in James C. Strouse's grown-up rom-com, PEOPLE PLACES THINGS

If at first this new rom-com-dramedy seems like the usual bill of fare -- man catches wife in flagrante delicto with another man -- just give the film a few extra minutes. That should be all it takes to allow the cast and especially the film's main character (that befuddled hubby played by the extremely versatile Jemaine Clement, shown on poster, left, and below throughout) to win you over. PEOPLE PLACES  THINGS proves the best of the three movies written and directed by James C. Strouse (the other two are Grace is Gone and The Winning Season) because it keeps character more important than situation,  thus allowing that situation to avoid much of the supposed feel-good necessities that so many other rom-coms embrace.

Filmmaker Strouse (shown at right) has here fashioned a film about a number of different and interesting subjects -- from working as a comic book artist/teacher and marital infidelity to middle-aged dating and joint parenting -- and he juggles them quite well. Further, he has devised a set of fine supporting characters, each one of whom allows us to view his main character, Clement's Will Henry, in a different and increasingly expansive light.

These include his student Kat (a sassy and winning Jessica Williams, above) and her mom (given a nice blend of sophistication, sex appeal and vulnerability by Regina Hall, shown below, left, with Mr. Clement.)

Also on hand are Will's two daughters, below, played by twins Aundrea and Gia Gadsby with the kind of wise-beyond-their-years affectation that here manages to charm rather than annoy us.

Especially well-drawn and well-acted is the character of the girls' mom, played with a alternately funny and annoying combination of befuddle-ment/entitlement/confusion/anger by Stephanie Allynne, below, left.

Strouse's one big slip-up -- for me, at least -- concerns his belief that a professor of American literature who teaches at New York's Columbia University would have had over her life and career no connection to or appreciation of comic books and graphic novels. This rather beggars belief, but I would not let it stop you from viewing and appreciating what's so very good in this film -- which handles growing up, facing stuff and finally moving on about as well as I have seen in some time.

Oh, yes -- and the animation, the art for which our hero is noted, is expert, as well, including Will's explanation to his class about why what's between those comic book frames of art (and the connection that viewers make in their mind) is sometimes as important as the art itself.

From The Film Arcade and Alchemy, the movie hits DVD, VOD and early EST this coming Tuesday, October 6 -- for purchase or rental.