Are you 'Obsessed,' 'Fighting,' or in the mood for 'The Soloist'?

By Sarah Sluis

Leading the pack of this week's releases is The Soloist (2,024 theatres). The feel-good story of a friendship between a newspaper reporter and a talented schizophrenic homeless man comes off as "sensitive but surprisingly unmoving," according to our critic Wendy Weinstein. While the story may fail to move, you can spend your time observing the technical expertise behind the project. The cinematography is impeccable, and the use of sound is Raging Bull-level, all the more fitting given the troubled musician at the center of the film. The acting of Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., too, stirs up no objections. Still, this drama was moved from awards season for a reason, so I doubt that the film will be the number one finish of the week.

Also in wide release are Obsessed (2,514 theatres) and Fighting (2,310 theatres), two exploitative-sounding films with titles that seem to sum up the plots. Obsessed, which didn't screen for critics, is a Fatal Attraction-type movie that pits Ali Larter of TV's "Heroes" against Beyonce. Larter, a temp worker, seduces Beyonce's husband, then uses all the violence and sex she can muster to destroy the couple. Fighting, more specifically, is about underground fights in New York City, the kind "around which ungodly amounts of money float in terms of bets and a winner-take-all purse," and "nobody's very smart." They join Disneynature's Earth (1,804 theatres), which has already racked up $4 million since it released on its Earth Day opening.

On the specialty front, the stylistic tale of a real-life corrupt Italian politician, Il Divo, releases in Manhattan, joined by Buenos Aires-set drama Empty Nest (NY), a Bret Easton Ellis adaptation, The Informers (482 theatres), a Korean drama that offers a "glowing reminiscence of a difficult childhood," Treeless Mountain (NY), and Mike Tyson documentary Tyson (11 theatres).

Next week kicks off the summer movie season with the release of X-Men: Wolverine, so check back for the start of the blockbuster rollout.