Arthur Newman Here’s that essential bookend to Identity Thief your soul has been craving since February. Colin Firth is a guy who has faked his own death and started all over; Emily Blunt is a woman with a similar yen for self-reinvention. Together, they break into empty homes and assume the identities of the owners. First-time feature director Dante Ariola worked from a script by Becky Johnston, whose last project was Seven Years in Tibet. Maybe they tell people they’re Orson Welles and Herman Mankiewicz! (NR) – Steve Schneider
The Big Wedding Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton are sure to show the utmost restraint and taste as divorced parents brought back together for a big day in the life of their adopted son. Also in the cast are Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams and Topher Grace (’member him?). The movie is a stateside remake of a French entry from 2007, which should make for one truly madcap bris. Or whatever. (R) – SS
Pain & Gain Michael Bay gives hope to the entire Orlando Weekly editorial team by adapting a series of Miami New Times articles about bodybuilders who went on a crime spree in South Florida. See, when Hollywood’s creative well has dried up so bad that it’s turning to the Sunshine State alt-press for inspiration, we know we’re just a few short deadline days from Easy Street! Of course, there’s always a killjoy in the crowd, which in this case would be the victims of the actual bodybuilder gang, who are reportedly none too happy about seeing them portrayed as matinee idols. But call us anyway, Mr. Bay: We have a great story to show you about LGBTQ dog parks. (R) – SS
Also playing
The Place Beyond the Pines It strives to be a moving, epic family drama that spans 17 years, two families, two generations and 140 minutes, but it loses both momentum and impact the further it ventures into its broken narrative. Ryan Gosling applies his smoldering charisma and unsettling stillness to the role of a stunt cyclist and new dad whose turn to crime puts him on a collision course with a rookie police officer (Bradley Cooper), a man with a newborn of his own. Though director Derek Cianfrance takes an effectively understated approach to his drama and knows how to hold our attention from moment to moment, his dense yet monochromatic film never displays any real spontaneity or depth. (R) – Jeff Meyers
