general | March 19, 2026

Movies directed by Donald Petrie

Grumpy Old Men Poster Grumpy Old Men

Sometimes the films I enjoy the most aren't the ones that get four stars. For example, while Farewell My Concubine is an example of superior, powerful film making, it isn't the sort of movie you embrace for the pure magic of the entertainment it...

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Poster How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

One could easily make the argument that How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a perfectly acceptable diversion. Kate Hudson's Andie Anderson and Matthew McConaughey's Ben Barry are both affable individuals and, when the script allows it, there are fitfu...

Just My Luck Poster Just My Luck

With a title like Just My Luck, the urge to make puns is almost irresistible. However, in recognition of the fact that the film isn't that bad, I shall refrain from doing so. It's tough for me to determine how 13-year old girls will respond to ...

Miss Congeniality Poster Miss Congeniality

If there were lingering doubts that the time has come to write an obituary for Sandra Bullock's days as a leading lady, Miss Congeniality should dispel them. Trailing in the wake of a string of duds, the most recent of which were the un-releasable...

My Favorite Martian Poster My Favorite Martian

The most inventive moment in My Favorite Martian comes during the opening sequence. A robot Mars probe is shown slowly picking its way across the barren surface of the Red Planet. When its power supply finally gives out and it grinds to a halt, t...

My Life in Ruins Poster My Life in Ruins

Words cannot express how weary I am of watching lifeless, hollow movies like My Life in Ruins - generic romantic comedies that have no clue when it comes to either "romance" or "comedy." The films aren't quite poorly enough made to label them "bad...

Welcome to Mooseport Poster Welcome to Mooseport

What might have been… Those four words tell the sad story of too many films, and Welcome to Mooseport is one of them. It starts out with a terrific premise, ripe with the potential for the kind of political satire we haven't seen on the big scr...