New Movies Jan. 31-Feb. 2: 'That Awkward Moment' When There's Nothing Good in Theaters
by EG
Much of America was bitterly cold last weekend, and there weren't any compelling new movies to draw audiences out into the ice and snow. Things don't look much better for the coming weekend, both in terms of weather and in terms of exciting new movies.
On the scale of movies with already-outdated Internet memes as titles, "That Awkward Moment," one of two new wide releases this weekend, is getting a little bit more of a marketing push than Miley Cyrus' "LOL" did back in 2012, but this one still looks like something that should be going direct to video. It's also an R-rated comedy starring fresh-faced Zac Efron, who thus far has specialized in fluffier roles, and it might confuse audiences.
The other new release this week, "Labor Day," is a romantic drama from director Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air"). It stars Josh Brolin as an escaped convict and Kate Winslet as the agoraphobic mom who falls in love with him, and it's drawing criticism for being off-puttingly unbelievable.
If neither of these movies sounds appealing, movie-goers will have to choose between holdovers "Ride Along," "Lone Survivor" and "The Nut Job." Recent releases "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" and "I, Frankenstein" have already been largely rejected by audiences, so they probably won't emerge as winners this weekend, either.