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Reviews of movies showing in theaters or streaming online

‘AIR’: “Air” is a good time, as well as a triumph of sports marketing in every conceivable way. It’s a docudrama about how

Nike marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, persuaded his boss Phil Knight, played by co-star and director Ben Affleck, to cough up the funds to make the pitch to get the basketball star for the ages to sell their shoes. It’s a movie about winners, winning and millions. We do not see Michael Jordan in “Air,” aside from a few shots of an essentially nonverbal actor’s back, or the back of his head. Viola Davis and her real-life husband, Julius Tennon, take the roles of Deloris and James R. Jordan

Sr. “Air” has a true knack for shamelessly effective audience manipulation en route to a happy ending. 1:52. 3 stars. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

‘ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET’:

At the end of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the hugely rewarding film version of Judy Blume’s 1970 classic book, the characters played by Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams have just shared a momentous private moment, through tears and laughter, in the close quarters of the family bathroom. No spoilers, but the depth of feeling in this scene isn’t what you find in most commercial movies, certainly not most coming-of-age films, and certainly not most comingof-age films made in America. Blume’s novel threw millions of real-life Margarets a lifeline. It remains, in some parts of our world, a banned and controversial book. It talks plainly about menstruation, bras and a protagonist who uses God as an unseen counselor and sounding board. This book deserved a really good film version, and writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig captures Blume’s humane wit and spirit, while adding some new emotional and narrative wrinkles. 1:45.

3 ½ stars. — Michael Phillips

‘BIG GEORGE FOREMAN’: For a certain millennial population, the name “George Foreman” is more likely to conjure up an image of a favorite kitchen appliance before it brings to mind “heavyweight champ.” Indeed, the boxer/preacher/entrepreneur might be better known these days for his “Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine,” a gadget renowned in college dorms and bachelor pads across the nation, thanks to Foreman’s affable infomercials and infectious grin. Foreman became a pop cultural icon in the late ’90s, with a ubiquitous media presence (he competed on “The Masked Singer” in 2022) and likable quirks, such as his five sons also named

George Foreman. But in the new biopic directed and co-written by George Tillman Jr., with a title as large as its subject, “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,” the grill, and the sons, are relegated to the sidelines. This film seeks to reassert George’s story as an athlete and a born-again Christian, who relied on his faith to make a miraculous comeback and win the heavyweight title at age 45, becoming the oldest man to win the belt. 2:09. 2 stars. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

‘CHEVALIER’: It’s a striking image — a young Black man, dressed in 18th-century French fashion, in a waistcoat and silk breeches, his hair braided in cornrows, holding a violin, the bow slung over his shoulder, the title “Chevalier” emblazoned below his feet. This movie poster almost looks like a Kehinde Wiley portrait, a radical reassertion of tradition, a disruption of the narrative we have been sold. This is a story that has been crushed under the brutal wheel of history, war and racism, and the film “Chevalier,” about the composer and violinist Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de SaintGeorges, promises to unfurl this lost story in modern, exciting fashion. 1:47. 2 ½ stars.

‘GUY RITCHIE’S THE COVENANT’: Swinging back to a more serious register, Guy Ritchie presents his first film grounded in harsh realworld politics, “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” and it’s the best film he has made in years. While not based on a true story, the film is inspired by the many true, tragic stories of Afghan interpreters who worked with the United States military for over 20 years, who were promised visas and then left to fend for themselves in a hostile country after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Ritchie and co-writers Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies have crafted a story about the U.S. military that fits into his auteurist point of view, about the deals made between men and the sacred responsibility to hold up one’s end of the bargain. 2:03. 3 stars.

— Katie Walsh

‘RENFIELD’: “Renfield” has fine, crafty actors in its corner. The reliable Nicolas Cage is in there, sprinkling delightful expressions of enthusiasm under his Dracula breath. Awkwafina plays an honest New Orleans cop amid a sea of corrupt, mobbed-up toadies, with her sharp instincts for both punchlines and heart-tugs. Throw in Nicholas Hoult as the title’s put-upon “familiar,” Renfield, and there you have it: the least lousy of the three recent Universal Pictures forays into wisecracking ultraviolence. The idea here is that “Dracula” author Bram Stoker’s tasty side character, Renfield, who procures humans for their blood and for his master’s next meal, has had enough. Screenwriter Ryan Ridley introduces Renfield at a relationship support group where others discuss abusive husbands and manipulative partners. Renfield can relate, but he’s not ready to reveal just how difficult his last century has been, under the sway of his master. “Renfield” fans and I can surely agree on one thing: the entertainment value of a pointy-toothed Cage, 35 years after “Vampire’s Kiss,” reporting once again for bloodsucking duty. He makes wonderful sense as Dracula; he’s fashion plate, dandy and cockeyed optimist all in one, out to conquer the world on his own terms. 1:33. 2 stars.

— Michael Phillips

‘THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE’:

“The

Super Mario Bros. Movie” garnered controversy upon announcement of its voice cast, with Chris Pratt due to voice the rotund, mustachioed plumber and the internet preemptively cringing at his potential delivery of Mario’s catchphrase, “It’s-a me, Mario!” Thankfully, the movie gets that out of the way almost immediately, thanks to a VHS-style TV ad for Mario and Luigi’s plumbing business where they affect exaggerated Italian accents. It’s a gambit that allows Pratt and Charlie Day, voicing Luigi, to quickly drop the act. But their vocal performances are so unremarkable that it could have been anyone at all. The one vocal performance worth the price of admission is Jack Black as Bowser, the king of the Koopas, an intimidating turtle decked out in spikes, who has a penchant for heavy metal and a yearning for Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is mildly amusing, swift, noisy and unrelentingly paced, which is par for the course considering this is the studio that brought us the Minions. After Mario and Luigi are sucked into a mysterious pipe and transported to the parallel universe of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario sets out to find and rescue his brother from Bowser with the help of Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Princess Peach, who is also attempting to evade Bowser’s invasion. 1:32. 2 stars. — Katie Walsh

RATINGS: The movies listed are rated according to the following key: 4 stars, excellent; 3 stars, good; 2 stars, fair; 1 star, poor.