I Love You, Beth Cooper

Plus: a sneak at Harry Potter

By Roger Ebert on July 9, 2009

BRUNO: To describe Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Bruno as flamboyantly gay would be an understatement.  He makes Bruce Vilanch seem like Mike Tyson.  Bruno is disgraced in his native Austria when he wears a Velcro suit to Fashion Week and sticks to backdrops, curtains and models.  It’s slapstick worthy of Jerry Lewis.  Then he flies to Los Angeles with his loyal worshipper Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), vowing to become a celebrity.  (R) Three and a half stars — Roger Ebert


I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER: A teen romcom assembled from spare parts, about a nerd (Paul Rust) who harbors a secret love for the most popular girl in school (Hayden Panettiere), and declares this during his valedictory speech.  Achieves no similarity to any real situation or teenagers, and doesn’t seem to want to. (PG) Two stars – RE


HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE: Sneak preview. (PG)


MOON: Sam Rockwell plays a man serving the end of a three-year tour of duty on a lonely mining outpost on the far side of the moon.  What kind of a man would volunteer for such duty?  What kind of a corporation would ask him to?  We find out.  Superior hard science fiction. (R) Three and a half stars – RE