Larry Crowne

Tom Hanks brings plenty of Tom Hanks to Larry Crowne. Set against the crumbling financial market and rampant joblessness, Hanks puts on a happy face as a middle-age man attending college for the first time. He enrolls in a class taught by Julia Roberts, which—note to school administrators—would be a good way to get those enrollment numbers up. She’s more acidic than usual here, and it helps the proceedings, but Hanks could use a little of Jimmy Stewart’s post-war cynicism, given the circumstances. It’s a nice movie. Not good, really, but very nice. On a shallow note: Hanks’ hair dye is really noticeable. Isn’t the point that he’s an older guy? Let it go gray, Tom. Granted, it’s not as bad as his Da Vinci Code weave, but still.