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As we come to the end of January, we hit a mini lull in the flood of new films. Don’t worry, February will be busy. Still, there are a couple new releases to review. Below is my take on this week’s new releases. If you want to keep up with everything I’m watching, follow me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Miller’s Girl (Theaters)
Starring: Martin Freeman, Jenna Ortega, Bashir Salahuddin, Gideon Adlon, and Dagmara Dominiczyk
Synopsis: The big theatrical release this week is Miller’s Girl, an original tale set in a small Tennessee Town. There, an 18-year-old high school student, Cairo Sweet (Ortega) has been left on her own at an estate by her absentee parents. She’s smart, well-read, and struggling with finishing her essay for Yale. She’s started a new English class with Jonathan Miller (Freeman). He’s a published author, but it’s been sometimes since he really wrote something original. His best friend is Boris (Salahuddin), a fellow teacher and the baseball coach. His wife (Dominiczyk) is an author who seems more focused on her work than her husband. At first, Miller is intrigued by Cairo’s talent, seeking to mentor a student he sees as a future writer. But their flirtatious back-and-forth threatens to be his undoing, especially when Cairo and her friend Winnie (Adlon) set their sights on attracting a couple teachers. The writing here is crisp and the performances are at times captivating. Both seem to exceed the quality of the overall narrative. I enjoyed Freeman and Ortega in these roles, but all the primary casts give strong performances. Again, it’s just not in service of a particularly engaging story. In fact, sometimes the story veers in directions that are hard to fathom. And, ultimately, it’s hard to say what this film from Jade Halley Bartlett wants to be aside from a romance novel brought to life on screen. It’s sometimes a lurid tale but pulls its punches. It’s sometimes quite engaging but then crosses some strange lines. Bartlett the director has a nice eye but, again, it comes in service of a story that doesn’t seem worthy of some of the efforts here. The film is OK, and at times compelling, but misses the mark of becoming good or great.
Rating: Rated R for sexual content, language throughout, some teen smoking and drinking.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

The Underdoggs (Prime Video)
Starring: Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, and Mike Epps
Synopsis: The latest from Prime Video is a true underdog tale. Jaycen “Two Js” Jennings (Dogg) is a former NFL Player who is known for his brash attitude. That gets him into trouble as he runs afoul of the law. He’s sentenced to community service back in his hometown. There, he runs across a local peewee football team in need of a coach and a bit of rehab. He takes them on as a way to rehab his own image but, in the process, might have found his true calling. We know how these kinds of sports stories are going to go. What distinguishes one from another are the characters and the way you invest. That’s the problem here. Jennings isn’t a compelling lead, and the team isn’t that interesting. Neither is the process of their drive to redemption. This film seems more interested in being edgy—and profane—that creating something memorable, engaging, or amusing. It’s a complete misfire for me and one of the worst films I’ve seen this year so far.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking.
Verdict: One and a half stars out of five