Movies

Gattaca (Columbia Pictures). Rookie director Andrew Niccol's sci-fi film about a futuristic dystopia wins praise for its moral stand against genetic engineering. Ethan Hawke plays an idealist who suffers discrimination because he was naturally conceived. Some critics call Niccol a stylist and laud his minimalism and use of pale colors. Others say the film has the "earnest simplicity of a freshman philosophy paper" (Jack Mathews, the Los Angeles Times) and "ends in the cheesiest of plot twists" (Rita Kempley, the Washington Post). (Stills and clips are available here.)

A Life Less Ordinary (20^th Century Fox). Critics profess surprise that Scottish director Danny Boyle's follow-up to the much-praised Trainspotting should have turned out to be a "pileup of spectacular flakiness" (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly). They call the plot, in which a disgruntled janitor (Ewan McGregor) kidnaps and then falls in love with his boss's daughter (Cameron Diaz), "pure, vintage fluff" (Janet Maslin, the New York Times). Scenes involving angels, played by Delroy Lindo and Holly Hunter, are said to be especially silly. Critics predict that McGregor and Diaz will be huge stars. (See the official site.)

Theater

Triumph of Love (Royale Theatre, New York City). This musical adaptation of an 18^th-century French farce about a princess who courts a philosopher is the season's surprise success. Critics praise it for bucking Broadway trends: It is both low-budget and brainy (one of its goals is to mock Enlightenment rationality). The score by first-time composer Jeffrey Stock earns approval for being more Sondheim than Lloyd Webber. Dissenting, the New York Times' Ben Brantley says its over-the-top book confuses bathroom humor with witty repartee.

Book

Speaking Truth to Power, by Anita F. Hill (Doubleday). Critics wonder why Anita Hill even bothered writing her side of the Clarence Thomas controversy--she adds nothing to her case that hasn't been said before in other books. Hill sympathizers, on the other hand, like the book's "straightforward, earnest" tone (Elizabeth Mehren, the Los Angeles Times). Conservatives cannot help noting it bears "the mark of a truly expert complainer" (P.J. O'Rourke, the Weekly Standard).

Television

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (ABC; Nov. 2; 7 p.m. EST/PST). A remake of the 1957 made-for-TV musical wins praise for its African-American lead and multiracial cast, which includes Jason Alexander, Whitney Houston, and Whoopi Goldberg. "Finally, a sister is getting to go to the ball," says Newsweek's Veronica Chambers. Others observe that even remakes with good intentions cannot overcome the blandness of the original, whose score is said to be vastly inferior to the Disney film version's.

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (PBS; Nov. 4 and 5; click here for times). The backlash against the Ken Burns documentary machine kicks into high gear. Critics call the subject of the film inherently intriguing but complain that it has been "marred by the Burnsian sensibility, ... the same sentimentality and earnestness he throws over every subject" (James Collins, Time). Techniques recycled from Burns' documentaries on baseball and the Civil War--including background fiddle music and actors reading wistful letters--are singled out as especially grating. Critics note the emergence of Lewis and Clark chic (a miniseries and a movie about the explorers are imminent). (PBS previews the series.)