A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

This could so easily have been sentimental Hollywood pap about settling family feuds. Instead, it's a thoughtful, textured contemplation of how we can effectively deal with our expectations, disappointments and imperfections. It is true, as others have pointed out, that the female roles are ciphers, which might be considered a surprising weakness in a film directed by a woman. Nonetheless, Marielle Heller, who did such an excellent job on CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? also steers this movie superbly, handling the performances and the screenplay's playful shifts of tone with great assurance.

The central trio -- Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys and Chris Cooper -- are reliably terrific.