IN THEATERS - MOVIE REVIEWS

Colin Firth and Helen Hunt star in a scene from the movie "Then She Found Me."	A group of nuns in a scene from the documentary "Constantine's Sword."	John Cho and Kal Penn in a scene from the movie "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay."

"Baby Mama" (Universal/Relativity)
Frequently funny but morally problematic romantic comedy about a hard-driving grocery chain executive (Tina Fey) who, incapable of bearing a child, hires an unpolished woman (Amy Poehler) to be a surrogate mother, subsequently becoming her roommate when the latter splits from her deadbeat common-law husband (Dax Shepard) while herself becoming attached to an ex-lawyer turned juice-bar owner (Greg Kinnear). Writer-director Michael McCullers' partially improvised feature debut, with a cast that also includes Sigourney Weaver and Steve Martin, abounds in comic energy but implicitly accepts current mores regarding fertility that are contrary to Catholic values. Acceptability of surrogate parenting and artificial insemination, implied premarital sex, some crude and crass language, sexual and scatological humor, and a drug reference.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

"Constantine's Sword" (First Run)
Earnest but unbalanced documentary, adapted from ex-priest James Carroll's "Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews -- A History," surveys the fraught history of Christian anti-Semitism, particularly as it plays out among American evangelicals today, and its roots dating back to the early days of the Roman Catholic Church, incorporating seminal episodes from his life story, including his sometimes conflicted relationship with his father, and his ultimate disillusionment with the institutional church. Director Oren Jacoby's film ignores some significant nuances in the historical record, as it broadly outlines the tragic conflict. Mature religious themes, one use of the f-word and occasional crude and crass language.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" (Premise/Rampant)
Provocative documentary intended to show that academics and research scientists are penalized for merely suggesting that there might be flaws in the prevailing theory of Neo-Darwinian evolution and that purported scientific evidence for the alternate theory of intelligent design is being systematically ignored. Director Nathan Frankowski's unabashedly partisan film -- using old movie clips to humorously underscore the film's themes of suppression and duplicity, and with at least some of the interviewees seemingly caught off guard by the line of questioning -- is impishly hosted and co-written by former presidential speechwriter, economist and sometime actor Ben Stein. Holocaust imagery and mature philosophical issues.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

"Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" (New Line/Mandate)
Potentially acute satirical adventure, overwhelmed by sophomoric excess, in which a drug-addled slacker (Kal Penn) and his slightly more motivated friend (John Cho) are mistaken for terrorists, escape from the titular detention camp, and embark on a road trip to Texas where the former's ex-girlfriend (Danneel Harris) and her politically connected fiance (Eric Winter) may help clear their names. Co-writers and directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg's buddy sequel revels in the salacious and the scatological while glorifying drug use. Graphic and frequent rear, upper-female and full-frontal nudity; sexual activity; some aberrant, pervasive rough, crude and crass language, including at least 100 uses of the f-word, seven uses of profanity, sexual and graphically scatological humor; drug use and references; a prostitution theme; and a pornography reference.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

"Roman de Gare" (Samuel Goldwyn)
Impeccably crafted suspense tale from great director Claude Lelouch in which a young woman (Audrey Dana) abandoned at a gas station after a fierce argument with her fiance accepts a lift from an ominous stranger (Dominique Pinon) who agrees to drive her to her parents' farm and pose as her fiance. Stunningly acted by all -- including Fanny Ardant as a best-selling author whose story, along with that of a woman (Michele Bernier) whose husband has suddenly gone missing, eventually intersects with the main one -- and cleverly written to keep you guessing right up to the end, the film is keenly observant about human nature, the creative process and love. Sporadic rough language and crude expressions, brief frank sexual dialogue and suicide. In French. Subtitles.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

"Then She Found Me" (THINKFilm)
Fitfully engaging but mostly humdrum tale of a glum Jewish schoolteacher (Helen Hunt) who reconnects with the gregarious birth mother (Bette Midler) she never knew, and falls in love with a single father (Colin Firth) after her adopted mother dies and her husband (Matthew Broderick) walks out on her. Co-writer Hunt competently directs this adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel, and performances are solid, but her character is frequently irksome and several plot points are problematic from a Catholic perspective. Nongraphic sexual encounters; some nonmarital, frank sexual talk; partial female nudity; profanity and some rough language; and artificial insemination.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

"Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?" (Weinstein)
Genial but not particularly insightful documentary in which average citizen Morgan Spurlock's ostensible search for the titular terrorist takes him to North Africa and the Middle East, where he mingles with the mostly friendly locals and ponders the origins of Islamic extremism. Spurlock, who also directed, rehashes the familiar shortcomings of American policy in the area, and makes a vague plea for a more humane world, but suggests no specific reforms. Two gory scenes, three uses of the f-word, and occasional crude and crass language.
The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.