Mr. Persistence

Mr. Persistence (PG-13; 96 mins.)

A career-minded woman (Jenna Elfman) discovers she is falling for her handsome stalker (Paul Rudd) in this heartwarming romantic thriller. Rudd's character is a perfect study in haplessness and violence, an unstable Chaplinesque figure who wears a top hat and overcoat in mid-August. Elfman is soon swept off her feet, literally and figuratively, by the windowless van-driving lothario, but it seems that her Mr. Right can't do anything right. In one scene that will delight viewers young and old (but may also be deeply upsetting to children and the elderly), Rudd attempts to kill Elfman's pet rabbit, but accidentally cooks up a delicious friccassee. Eerie sepia-toned flashbacks do little to advance the story, but all in all this film serves as a reminder that sometimes we need to pursue love and our selected female projects at all costs.

Tobacco use, coarse language.

Expats

Expats (R; 97 mins.)

An American shop owner (David Morse) who refuses service to a haughty, chain-smoking French tourist (Gerard Depardieu) gets a violent lesson in international relations in this taut psychological thriller. Suddenly, he's beset on all sides by angry Frenchmen and genuinely fears for his life. The explosive climax will have you whispering "vive le difference!" in the theatre. Andy Griffith is a scene-stealer as Morse's lecherous landlord, though a subplot about a property dispute arising from an improperly recorded deed drags a bit. Directed by Michael Bay.

Brief nudity, mild violence.