Diminished Capacity
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda
What's it about: A concussion victim (Broderick) who suffers memory loss must take charge of his forgetful uncle (Alda), who owns a rare, valuable baseball card.
Don't forget: This easy-going comedy tiptoes through a minefield of dark material and finds unexpected humor, even when dealing with the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Broderick is perfect as a comic-strip syndicate editor still suffering aftereffects of his concussion, who takes a leave to cope with family issues. And Alda is wonderfully crotchety as his aging uncle, who owns a baseball card that may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Can they find a buyer before the uncle misplaces the card - or gets swindled out of it? It's the kind of comedy that sneaks up on you, even as it surprises you with the occasional lump in the throat. It's a lovely film with hidden pleasures.
Long story short: Here's the antidote to summer blockbuster fatigue.
More Reviews
W.
Pres. George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) prepares for war in Iraq and looks back on his life before the White House.
Pres. George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) prepares for war in Iraq and looks back on his life before the White House.
Body of Lies
A CIA agent in the Middle East finds himself at odds with his boss, even as he gets personally involved in the search for a terrorist leader.
A CIA agent in the Middle East finds himself at odds with his boss, even as he gets personally involved in the search for a terrorist leader.
Rachel Getting Married
A young woman (Anne Hathaway) is released from rehab to attend her sister's wedding in Connecticut.
A young woman (Anne Hathaway) is released from rehab to attend her sister's wedding in Connecticut.
Happy Go Lucky
A British school teacher goes through life always trying to see the bright side of life - until she meets a dismal driving instructor.
A British school teacher goes through life always trying to see the bright side of life - until she meets a dismal driving instructor.
Rocknrolla
Small-time London crooks must repay a big-time gangster in this comic crime story.
Small-time London crooks must repay a big-time gangster in this comic crime story.
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Two teens from New Jersey spend the night together prowling Manhattan in search of a secret gig by their favorite band.
Two teens from New Jersey spend the night together prowling Manhattan in search of a secret gig by their favorite band.
Religulous
The comedian and political commentator takes a documentary trip around the world to see why religion seems to divide - rather than unite - people.
The comedian and political commentator takes a documentary trip around the world to see why religion seems to divide - rather than unite - people.
Nights in Rodanthe
Two unhappy strangers meet at an inn on the North Carolina coast and learn to love again.
Two unhappy strangers meet at an inn on the North Carolina coast and learn to love again.
The Lucky Ones
Three Iraq soldiers, home on leave, wind up traveling cross-country together and forging a friendship.
Three Iraq soldiers, home on leave, wind up traveling cross-country together and forging a friendship.
Miracle at St. Anna
Four African-American soldiers wind up behind enemy lines in World War II Italy, trying to protect a small Italian boy from the Nazis.
Four African-American soldiers wind up behind enemy lines in World War II Italy, trying to protect a small Italian boy from the Nazis.
Choke
Scam artist Victor Mancini pretends to choke in restaurants, then puts the touch on the person who saves him for money to pay for his mother's nursing home.
Scam artist Victor Mancini pretends to choke in restaurants, then puts the touch on the person who saves him for money to pay for his mother's nursing home.
The Duchess
After marrying a chilly duke, an 18th-century woman (Keira Knightley) discovers he has a mistress - and takes a lover of her own.
After marrying a chilly duke, an 18th-century woman (Keira Knightley) discovers he has a mistress - and takes a lover of her own.
Appaloosa
Two lawmen clean up a tough New Mexico town in the 1880s - and get involved with the same woman in this entertaining western.
Two lawmen clean up a tough New Mexico town in the 1880s - and get involved with the same woman in this entertaining western.
Blindness
When a sudden epidemic of blindness sweeps the world, the victims are quarantined and forgotten about.
When a sudden epidemic of blindness sweeps the world, the victims are quarantined and forgotten about.
Hounddog
A precocious preteen (Dakota Fanning) in the 1950s South has a crush on Elvis Presley and absentee parents.
A precocious preteen (Dakota Fanning) in the 1950s South has a crush on Elvis Presley and absentee parents.
The Women
A Connecticut career woman seems to have it all — until she and her friends discover that her husband is having an affair.
A Connecticut career woman seems to have it all — until she and her friends discover that her husband is having an affair.
Burn After Reading
Two fitness club employees find a computer disc belonging to a CIA analyst and try to blackmail him.
Two fitness club employees find a computer disc belonging to a CIA analyst and try to blackmail him.
Towelhead
A 13-year-old Arab-American girl discovers her own sexuality while living with her strict divorced father during the first Gulf War.
A 13-year-old Arab-American girl discovers her own sexuality while living with her strict divorced father during the first Gulf War.
Traitor
In this thriller, an American Muslim goes undercover among jihadists to find a terrorist leader and stop a bombing in the U.S.
In this thriller, an American Muslim goes undercover among jihadists to find a terrorist leader and stop a bombing in the U.S.
Vicky Christina Barcelona
Two American girls spend a summer in Barcelona and find themselves both attracted to the same artist in this Woody Allen romantic comedy.
Two American girls spend a summer in Barcelona and find themselves both attracted to the same artist in this Woody Allen romantic comedy.
