“Invictus”
*** 1/2 stars (out of 4)
In 1995, South Africa was to play host to the rugby World Cup final. Recently elected president Nelson Mandela saw in white-minority favorites the Springboks a chance to unite his deeply divided country. He was in a minority. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon portray Mandela and Francois Pienaar, Springboks captain. Based on John Carlin’s uplifting recounting “Playing the Enemy” and directed by Clint Eastwood, “Invictus” proves a rousing example of how the best sports dramas distill our “more than a game” ambitions. PG-13. 2 hours, 13 minutes. Lisa Kennedy
“Valentine’s Day”
** stars (out of 4)
A fine cast of notables — including Julia Roberts, Shirley MacClaine and Jamie Foxx — can’t save this trite romantic roundelay that takes place on Valentine’s Day from being too crammed yet unsatisfying. Aston Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez star — and that’s not the half of it. PG-13. 2 hours, 1 minute. Lisa Kennedy
“Extraordinary Measures”
** stars (out of 4)
“Extraordinary Measures” is a sometimes moving, solid if unsurprising account of a father’s tireless efforts to use his business acumen to develop a cure for his children’s fatal genetic disorder. Brendan Fraser plays John Crowley, an on-the-rise marketing executive who comes home to a loving wife (Keri Russell) and two adoring children with Pompe disease. Harrison Ford plays Dr. Stonehill as a curmudgeon, holed up in his Nebraska lab, dodging phone calls and callously ignoring the human side to his research into Pompe disease. PG. 1 hour, 43 minutes. Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
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