After Thanksgiving has come and gone, movie loversmay be tempted to nap away the long weekend. But Rolling Stonecritic Peter Travers objects to such laziness in his Turkey Day installment of At the Movies, breaking downthree must-see films (all based on true stories) to catch after the holiday.
First, theres the World War II espionagethrillerThe Imitation Game, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the Navy computer scientist who helped bust the Nazis Enigma Code. But instead of being lauded for his heroism after the war, Turin is persecuted for his homosexuality. Travers calls the film anexciting tale driven by the superb acting ofCumberbatch and co-star Keira Knightly.
Up next is Bennett Millers biographical dramaFoxcatcher, which tells the story of two Olympic gold medal-winning wrestlers, brothers Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), and their tragic affiliation with a very dangerous, delusional billionaire named John du Pont (Steve Carell). Tatum is playing something really different than youve ever seen him do in this character, Travers says, but the true difference is in Steve Carell, playing this monster of a tycoon.
Just let this movie soak into your system, he continues. It is one of the best movies of the year by far.
Travers third choice is The Theory of Everything, which focuses on the career of iconic physicist Stephen Hawking, his diagnosis of ALS and his relationship with ex-wife Jane Wilde Hawking (whose memoir,Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, inspired the script). Travers praises star Eddie Redmayne (one of the great performances of the year) and his chemistry with co-star Felicity Jones.
Have your turkey, and then go out to the movies, Travers says.