The Critics: Videos

Marvin's Room (12). The screen version of Scott McPherson's highly regarded Broadway success isn't much more than a generic weepie, Diane Keaton's superb central performance notwithstanding. Having spent much of her life caring for her invalid father and aunt, middle-aged Bessie (Keaton) is diagnosed with leukaemia; her search for a bone-marrow donor forces a reconciliation with her sister Lee (Meryl Streep), whom she hasn't seen in 20 years. Keaton provides a more moving and believable portrait of saintliness than the film really deserves. Streep's formidable technical prowess is on show once again, but she's overshadowed here by Keaton; Leonardo DiCaprio does his less-than- convincing James Dean routine as Lee's delinquent son; and Robert De Niro shows up as a befuddled doctor in what's patently a feeble attempt at comic relief. McPherson wrote the screenplay and died (of Aids) before the film was completed.

Pink Flamingos (18). The 25th anniversary edition, with freshly unearthed out-takes and commentary by director John Waters. Starring the turd-ingesting, fellatio-performing Divine and revolving around a contest to find The Filthiest Person Alive, the film is one of the most doggedly transgressive ever made. Waters has made better, more interesting and more enjoyable movies since, but Pink Flamingos has a special place in his oeuvre, and indeed, in the canon of underground classics.