TV film fare -- week of March 2

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of March 2. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

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Sunday, March 2, 10 a.m.-noon EDT (A&E) "Can't Buy Me Love" (1987). Suburban nerd (Patrick Dempsey) pays a popular cheerleader (Amanda Peterson) to date him for a month in director Steve Rash's comic exploration of teen mores which condemns in-crowd conformism and self-deception but passively conveys a permissive attitude toward adolescent sex. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Sunday, March 2, 8:30-11 p.m. EDT (USA) "The Bourne Identity" (2002). Well-crafted thriller in which a highly trained CIA agent (Matt Damon) suffering from amnesia after a botched secret operation must figure out who he is and why fierce assassins are after him as he is aided by a German woman (Franka Potente) whom he has taken into his confidence. Based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, director Doug Liman's film is both an engaging character study and a fast-paced espionage yarn as the ongoing chase scenes and chilling close calls provide suspense and deflect attention from the story's predictable spots. Recurring harsh violence and some profanity with an instance of rough language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Friday, March 7, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Babel" (2006). Quietly powerful film charting three interconnected stories: an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) stranded in Morocco when the wife is seriously wounded by a stray bullet on their tour bus; the deaf-mute teenage daughter (Rinko Kikuchi) of a widower father (Koji Yakusho) in Tokyo who achingly longs for love; and a Mexican governess (Adriana Barraza) who with her nephew (Gael Garcia Bernal) takes her two young charges across the border to attend a wedding with tragic results. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's somber and lengthy film imparts an admirable message about a shared global humanity and the senselessness of violence, even as it blames U.S. foreign policy and bureaucracy as an obstacle, has superbly empathetic performances by an international cast, and ultimately packs an emotional wallop. Partially subtitled. Some rough language and profanity, crude expressions, some violence including a killing, full female nudity, some discreet sexual elements, and alcohol and drug use. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Saturday, March 8, 7:30-9 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Barnyard" (2006). Clumsy if colorful computer-animated tale set on a farm where, unbeknown to the farmer, the animals can walk and talk like people, and centers on a callow young cow (voiced by Kevin James) who must grow up quickly, reluctantly assuming leadership to stand up to a marauding gang of coyotes after his father (Sam Elliott) is killed defending the barnyard from the predatory pack. Directed by Steve Oedekerk, the film's admirable, if heavy-handed, message about embracing responsibility and putting the common good ahead of one's own self-interest is undermined by a mediocre script padded with raucous, redundant mayhem and silly sight gags at the expense of story and character. Mildly crude humor, some menace and peril that may be upsetting to very young children, heedless theft and several mature story elements. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Saturday, March 8, 8-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) "Catch Me If You Can" (2002). Fact-based breezy comedy in which a runaway teen (Leonardo DiCaprio) successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer and cashes fraudulent checks over several years as a dogged FBI agent (Tom Hanks) methodically chases his slippery prey. Director Steven Spielberg turns in a high-style cat-and-mouse tale made interesting by the agent's determination not only to catch the youthful culprit but to rehabilitate him as well. Lighthearted treatment of crime, implied sexual encounters, abortion reference, occasional profanity and an instance of rough language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, March 8, 8-11:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Troy" (2004). Epic-scale rendering of the Trojan War, loosely based on Homer's "The Iliad," which chronicles the siege and eventual sack of Troy by an invading Greek army, beginning with Paris (Orlando Bloom) spiriting away Helen (Diana Kruger) from her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta (Brendan Gleeson), and culminating in the Greeks using the infamous wooden horse to seal the fate of the doomed city. While crowded with clashing armies, director Wolfgang Petersen's demythologized retelling of the ancient tale is, at its core, an intimate story of two soldiers, the near-invincible Achilles (Brad Pitt) and his valiant Trojan counterpart, Hector (Eric Bana), which, though set amid a sweeping sword and sandal spectacle, remains grounded in human drama. Much intense battlefield violence and several implied sexual encounters with partial nudity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, March 8, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (Cinemax) "Hot Fuzz" (2007). Fast-paced, often witty sendup of police buddy films as an overachieving officer (Simon Pegg, who also co-wrote the script) is reassigned to a sleepy country town where he's confronted with a series of fatal "accidents," and how he and a laid-back sidekick (Nick Frost) set out to find the culprit. Canny direction by co-writer Edgar Wright and a top-flight British cast (including Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Anne Reid, Billie Whitelaw and Edward Woodward) plays to the hilt, but some viewers may find the escalating violence and salty language offensive, even in this satiric context. Some rough and crude language, violence with bloodshed including stabbings and decapitations, some grisly images, innuendo and underage drinking. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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