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Looking for some counter-programming to Super Bowl weekend? Check out these femme-driven flicks that score their share of emotional touchdowns:
“THE CATERED AFFAIR” (1956, WARNER ARCHIVE, UNRATED, $25): Bette Davis stars as a penny-pinching Bronx housewife who, over the objections of her cab-driver hubby (Ernest Borgnine), wants to give her daughter (Debbie Reynolds) the lavish wedding she herself never had. This kitchen-sink drama could have unleashed a tsunami of suds, but scripter Gore Vidal (adapting a play by Paddy Cheyefsky) and director Richard Brooks serve up something smarter and tougher. One of Davis’ own personal favorites, “The Catered Affair” is an unheralded gem.
“THE OTHER WOMAN” (2011, IFC, R, $25): At least as good if not better than the similarly themed “Rabbit Hole,” the latest from Don Roos (“The Opposite of Sex”) examines the aftermath of a tragic loss. Emilia (Natalie Portman) is the wife of a Manhattan attorney (Scott Cohen) whose efforts to bond with her stepson (remarkable Charlie Tahan) are hindered by her inability to properly grieve the death of her baby daughter. There might be one teary breakdown too many, but Portman bravely refuses to sand off Emilia’s rough edges.
“IN HER SHOES” (2005, FOX, PG-13, $15): From the great Curtis Hanson (“L.A. Confidential,” “The Wonder Boys,” “8 Mile”) comes a remarkably funny and touching account of two very different sisters (Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette) who have to break up to make up. A seductive film, “Shoes” has a lightness of touch and an appreciation for the simple pleasures of life that will knock you off your platforms.