Save your money on ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Coopers’

Love the Coopers **

How could such a winning cast and inviting holiday theme go so wrong? Bad script? Bad concept? Bad casting? Maybe a little of all of the above. “Love the Coopers,” isn’t horrible (though it’s not very good), it’s just disappointing. How could Steve Martin, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried and Marissa Tomei make such a stinker? Part of the problem is the unlikable central character Eleanor, played by Olivia Wilde, who is self-centered and whining in nearly every scene. Her would-be boyfriend, Joe, played by Jake Lacy is flat and unbelievable as a U.S. Marine stuck in a snowy airport. Tomei and Anthony Mackie as a local cop, share an interesting but unsatisfying relationship played out in a squad car. Ultimately, all the Christmas trimmings, snowy suburbia, and cute kids can’t make up for the unpleasant dialog between the leads, even up to the supposed redemption at the family dinner table. If you’re after a feel-good holiday flick, skip this one. The Manson family, and your real family, no matter how deranged, will come across as much more likable.

The Peanuts Movie **1/2

The Peanuts gang has gone 3D and creator Charles Schulz may be saying “good grief” from the grave. Though the film was produced by Blue Sky Studio (“Ice Age”) and written by Schulz’ own children, the film lacks much of the warmth and heart delivered by Schulz and jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi in the timeless “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which loaned its best lines and scenes to this semi-holiday themed reboot. Though not a Christmas movie per se, “The Peanuts Movie” is partially set in snowy suburbia, but moves on through the school year as we follow Charlie Brown in his quest to meet and impress The Little Red Haired Girl. All the classic stunts and characters are present; Snoopy fights the Red Baron, the Kite Eating Tree is as carnivorous as ever, and the philosophical Linus is still attached to his security blanket. Lucy still sells her advice for spare change on the street corner, and Pig Pen’s cloud of dust still follows him wherever he goes. Some fans of the Peanuts Gang may revel in the nostalgia, others may long for the one and only perfect Peanuts movie, a 30-minute enduring exposition on the real meaning of Christmas.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Save your money on ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Coopers’."