FILM PICKS

SUNDAY

Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) (STV, 12.25pm)

By-the-numbers comedy which should be dreadful but, in a sickly-sweet way, turns out to equal the blockbusting original Three Men and a Baby, thanks to the likeability of the charismatic leads. Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg return as the dashing surrogate fathers, out to stop mother Nancy Travis marrying aristocratic rotter Christopher Cazenove and moving to England with lovable tyke Robin Weisman. All the British characters are cliches, naturally, but as instantly forgettable entertainment it’s harmless enough.

MONDAY

Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Film4, 6.05pm)

This funny and stylish romp is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr, who as a teenager managed to swindle the US government out of thousands of dollars by affecting a series of outlandish disguises: as an airline pilot, doctor, international playboy, even the assistant attorney general. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Abagnale, driven by fantasies of luring his family back together with his ill-gotten gains, and Tom Hanks is the dogged FBI agent on his trail. With plenty of fun along the way, the two leads also develop a poignant relationship. Director Steven Spielberg keeps a brisk tempo, underscored by John Williams’s funky, jazzy score, propelling the plot inexorably towards its fascinating conclusion.

WEDNESDAY

The Remains of the Day (1993) (Film4, 6.20pm)

Anthony Hopkins gives one of his best performances as Stevens, a butler in a 1930s mansion who devotes himself to his master and the smooth running of the household. In fact, he’s so dedicated, he puts the demands of the job above his own emotional needs, rebuffing the advances of the spirited housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) – and so obedient, he fails to question his employer’s (James Fox) increasingly pro-Nazi politics. Made at the height of period-drama specialists Merchant Ivory’s powers, this sensitive adaptation transforms Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel into a deeply moving drama.

THURSDAY

The History Boys (2006) (BBC4, 10pm)

An acclaimed adaptation of Alan Bennett’s award-winning play, The History Boys is a deeply moving lesson in schooldays nostalgia, centring on the tug of war between teachers and students at a grammar school in the mid-1980s. The headmaster (Clive Merrison) is focusing his attention on ushering his brightest boys into the esteemed halls of Oxford and Cambridge. He enlists the services of eccentric English teacher Hector (Richard Griffiths), but he also drafts in impassioned twentysomething supply teacher Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore). The boys find their allegiances torn between inspirational and unconventional Hector and newcomer Irwin.