(Reviews by Scott Renshaw except where noted)
Omaha **1/2 [U.S. Dramatic]
Well-acted, well-meaning miserabilism is still miserabilism, and director Cole Webley—working from a script by Robert Machoian—can’t find enough notes to play beyond “well, this is all going to end in tears.” It opens with widowed single dad Martin Harper (John Magaro) waking up his two kids—9-year-old Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and 6-year-old Charlie (Wyatt Solis)—and packing them into the car for an impromptu road trip to Nebraska, precipitated by getting evicted from their Nevada home. Most of what follows involves Martin trying to make the trip seem like an adventure when it’s clearly not, and young Wright is particularly impressive as we spot her gradual realization that Dad doesn’t fully have things under control. But once you get past that idea, Omaha starts to feel pretty thin, particularly at allowing us to understand literally anything about who Martin was prior to reaching this crisis point in his life. As a result, he starts to feel more like an Everyman stand-in for people impacted by the 2008 financial crisis (you get a couple of indicators of the time frame before the on-screen coda), with no specific sense for how the family tragedy is connected to his plight. It’s understandable if viewers respond viscerally to certain moments, but a better script would help us feel for the particular struggles of these people, and not merely the idea that people struggle.

André Is an Idiot ***1/2 [U.S. Documentary]
The title of Tony Benna’s document may be a true statement in one, very specific sense, but there’s a hell of a lot going on as we spend time with this particular idiot. André Ricciardi—an eccentric, irreverent advertising-industry veteran—chooses to begin chronicling his experience at the age of 52 with a state-4 colon cancer diagnosis, one that might have been caught in a more treatable stage had he gotten a colonoscopy a year earlier. There’s a component of both self-flagellation and penance in the project, as André’s experience itself becomes a stark PSA for preventive procedures. But it’s also a wonderfully entertaining character study of someone choosing to die on the same unconventional terms by which he lived, even as he’s forced to learn that those around him might need more from him than his constant, black-humored joking about his circumstances. And on top of all that, it’s an affecting unconventional love story about André’s relationship with his wife Janice, which started as a literal green-card marriage of convenience but evolved into something more. Benna adds energy to the narrative through funky stop-motion sequences—it’s a terrific bit when the hair André is losing from chemotherapy takes on a life of its own—contributing to a lively and poignant profile of someone whose life energy adds so much to the world, and which might not have to go away so soon if he were less of an idiot.

The Librarians *** [Premieres]
Unquestionably, this is the kind of documentary that will always thrive at Sundance—a tale of courageous fighters against conservative extremism. That doesn’t mean director Kim A. Snyder isn’t pretty good at finding the details and the specific subjects to give that tale a jolt of energy. She tracks the wave of efforts in states like Texas and Florida to ban books from libraries—mostly, but not exclusively, public school libraries—with a focus on texts featuring LGBTQ+ or race-specific content, and how those efforts have turned librarians into both public targets and determined warriors. Snyder isn’t above getting a bit melodramatic as she chronicles the stories of these harried professionals, laying on the plaintive music as they address receiving threats to their lives and their livelihoods, and presenting plenty of ominous quotes from famously banned books. She also provides a thorough piece of journalism, though, tracking the ways well-funded groups like Moms for Liberty have taken over school boards, and how national conservative organizations provided incendiary talking points about “pornography” and “grooming.” The central subjects are all terrific—though the sheer scope of the problem inevitably leads to perhaps more subjects than 90 minutes would ideally support—as you watch the ferocity with which they’re willing to protect intellectual liberty. Progressive catnip it may be, but catnip of a high quality.

Ricky ** [U.S. Dramatic]
There’s an unwritten rule that criticism should be centered on the movie the filmmakers did make, not the one a critic thinks they should have made—but damned if I didn’t spend most of director/co-writer Rashad Frett’s feature frustrated that this scattershot effort missed the chance to focus on one of the way-too-many things that it tries to be about. At the center is Ricardo “Ricky” Smith (Stephan James), recently-paroled back into his mostly Caribbean-American community in Hartford, Connecticut, and trying to put his life back together after 15 years away. Complicating that effort even more is the fact that Ricky is only 30, meaning that he was incarcerated at 15, and Ricky is most fascinating when it’s addressing all the things that means Ricky himself doesn’t understand about existing on the outside—cell phones, how to drive, how to unwrap a condom. Unfortunately, Frett and co-writer Lin Que Ayoung have plenty of other stuff they want to throw into Ricky’s attempt to stay straight, and a dozen different relationships to juggle into the narrative, including his parole officer (Sheryl Lee Ralph), his mother, his brother, one of the cohorts in his crime who got away, a single mom in the neighborhood, a woman from his parolee support group, etc. etc. James’ performance has some powerful moments, but even by the time the film hits its prologue, it’s hard to get a handle on what exactly our protagonist is meant to have learned from his experience, beyond how many things you still don’t know when you’re 15.

GEN_ **1/2 [World Documentary]
There’s a lot to be said for celebrating a good person doing good work; it just doesn’t always necessarily lead to the most compelling cinema. Director Gianluca Matarrese profiles Dr. Maurizio Bini, an endocrinologist working at a public hospital in Milan combining two mostly-distinct client bases: people exploring alternate methods of conceiving a child, and individuals undergoing gender transitions. The filmmaker provides a brief introductory framework for the potential obstacles in Italian politics and culture to both of these endeavors, but despite comments by Dr. Bini about the possible need to navigate the difference between “what is right and what is legal,” there’s not much external conflict involved here; indeed, the biggest drama seems to involve Dr. Bini trying to get a construction project in his building to avoid jackhammering while he’s attempting delicate medical procedures. The result is sometimes emotional as Matarrese is allowed free access to doctor/patient consultations, and occasionally even lyrical in its filmmaking as with one wonderful montage of bodies in various kinds of transition. It just rarely rises beyond the level of “diverting,” as we rarely get to see the kinds of challenges that might make Dr. Bini’s practice difficult, or make him look forward to impending retirement. We get to learn about a nice, non-judgmental man who likes foraging for mushrooms in his spare time—and maybe a full feature film about him is a little too much.

One to One: John & Yoko *** [Spotlight]
After 2021’s excellent The Beatles: Get Back docuseries, it’s tempting to see this latest project as a spiritual sequel, like the spinoff that keeps a franchise going by relocating some characters to a new city. And while it does meet that expectation—relying on intimate, archival recordings to follow a post-Beatles John Lennon and Yoko Ono as they emigrate to early-1970s New York City—it also exceeds them, using the A-list couple’s fish-out-of-water perspective as a window to view a particularly turbulent period of American history. The Vietnam War is raging, as is anti-war sentiment, and Richard Nixon is gearing up for a big reelection campaign. Meanwhile, John and Yoko are falling in love with their adoptive city, immersing themselves into the cutting edge of the artistic and political movements of the day and channeling their renewed energies, after a few zig zags, into the titular “One to One” benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, Lennon’s final full-length concert performance. The result is a hybrid concert film-slash-punk rock Ken Burns’ The ’70s, and it works far more often than it doesn’t. Like any good concert, it mixes in the greatest hits (lots of Nixon, “Buy the World a Coke,” Bob Dylan’s garbage can, etc.) with some deep cuts (George Wallace and Shirley Chisholm, Attica, Charlie Chaplin) that do far more showing than telling, contextualizing the deep “malaise” that permeated the country’s Vietnam era and spotlighting the never-ending grievances that bedevil each new generation of Americans. Like the man said: “Give peace a chance.” (Benjamin Wood)

Prime Minister ***1/2 [World Documentary]
Prime Minister offers an intimate and compelling look into the turbulent five-year tenure of Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Directed with thoughtfulness and authenticity, the documentary invites viewers behind the scenes through personal footage captured by Ardern’s husband, adding a rare layer of sincerity and vulnerability. At its core, the film is a portrait of leadership rooted in humanity; Ardern navigated some of the most significant challenges of her time with compassion and a problem-solving spirit that sought to “rehumanize one another.” From implementing swift gun-law reform following a tragic mass shooting, to steering New Zealand through a global pandemic with science-backed policies, she embodies a leader guided by courage, common sense and empathy—even when facing relentless criticism and sexism. The film doesn’t shy away from the personal toll of public service, highlighting Ardern’s decision to step down earlier than expected—she feared she wouldn't have enough to give if another catastrophe should happen. The film also reflects on the unique pressures Ardern faced as one of the few world leaders to give birth while in office. With its lively pacing and heartfelt storytelling, Prime Minister celebrates resilience, dedication and humanity in leadership. Whether you're already familiar with Ardern’s tenure or new to her story, this documentary is for anyone who admires leaders who prioritize compassion over personal gain. (Aimee L. Cook)