Tony’s Movie Reviews: ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,’ ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses’ and ‘Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween’

Photo Courtesy: TP Productions

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Opening this weekend is “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” starring Tom Cruise in the sequel to the 2012 film, “Jack Reacher.”  Industry experts are predicting the film to open at around $19.0 million.

“Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween” is expected to debut in second place with an estimated weekend tally of $17.3 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Premiering in the third slot, “Ouija: Origin of Evil” will most likely open around the $16.0 million mark, finding its audience in those looking for a Halloween scare.

“Keeping Up with the Joneses,” the fourth film opening this weekend, is predicted not to break into the top 5. The comedy, starring Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis, has not been tracking well and only scored a 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here’s Box Office Mojo‘s weekend prediction for the top 10 films:

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – $19.0 Million
Boo! A Madea Halloween – $17.3 Million
Ouija: Origin of Evil – $16.0 Million
The Accountant – $13.5 Million
The Girl on the Train – $6.9 Million
Keeping Up with the Joneses – $6.2 Million
Kevin Hart: What Now? – $5.3 Million
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children $5.0 Million
Deepwater Horizon – $3.8 Million
Storks – $3.1 Million

The Reviews:

Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween
Starring: Tyler Perry
Rated PG-13

Madea winds up in the middle of mayhem when she spends a haunted Halloween fending off killer clowns, ghosts, ghouls and zombies while keeping a watchful eye on a group of misbehaving teens.

“Boo! A Madea Halloween” is an annoying film.

For the entire length of the 1 hour and 43 minutes of the movie, the main characters basically whine and bicker their way through Halloween night. There is an undercooked plot about Madea’s 17-year old grandniece trying to sneak out to a college party, but it just goes nowhere.

In fact the film showcases Madea and company moving from one insipid gag to the next while laughing at their own jokes and off-the-cuff comedy.

“Boo! A Madea Halloween” offers no treats, just stale, old, worn-out tricks. It gets an F and is rated PG-13.

Keeping Up with the Joneses
Starring: Gal Gadot, Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher
Rated PG-13

A suburban couple becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly perfect new neighbors are government spies.

Nothing new about this plot, as we’ve seen it several time. “Neighbors,” starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, “The Spy Next Door,” with Jackie Chan, “The Burbs,” with Tom Hanks and “Confined” all come to mind, and there are dozens more.

“Keeping Up with the Joneses” is more of the same. Nothing brilliant here or memorable, just one sight gag after another in fast repetition.

Both Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher are reasonably manic as the residents of a suburban neighborhood.

Gal Gadot and Jon Hamm are equally paired as the mysterious new couple, who seem to have a perfect life.

The problem is the film never gets anywhere, even though “Keeping Up with the Joneses” is frantically paced. The level of laughs needed to be elevated, especially with Galifianakis and Fisher being the comic foils.

In the final reel, the film is only an average comedy that feels like a sitcom you’d watch on TV. It gets a C and is rated PG-13.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Starring: Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders
Rated PG-13

Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. On the run as a fugitive from the law, he uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” stars Tom Cruise in his second outing as Jack Reacher, the former special ops soldier. Cruise offers up a well-intended performance, but the script isn’t pushing into anything new. The film is sluggish in its pacing, and the action is ho-hum at best. Nothing in this film is memorable or surprising.

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” gets a C and is rated PG-13.

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