The Burial (Amazon Prime)

Do you wish courtroom dramas were more entertaining than gritty?

If so, “The Burial” is the movie for you. Inspired by a real 1990s case, the film turns a contract battle into a funny, crowd-pleasing celebration of friendship and classic courtroom tropes. Though the third act makes both the characters and the movie itself dig deeper, addressing more profound issues, the bulk of the movie is there to satisfy like a good hamburger. With both Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones’ excellent performances, it’s a very good burger.

After a big corporation tries to push a funeral parlor owner (Jones) out of business, he hires a flashy lawyer Willie E. Gary (Foxx) to take the case. Gary doesn’t know contract law, but when the two become friends the case takes on personal stakes. When it’s revealed that the corporation has been targeting areas with low-income black families, the stakes get even higher.

Foxx is fantastic as Gary, full of bombast at all the right moments but ready to reveal the character’s deeper side when the time is right. Jones is just as good, infusing his character with warmth and uncertainty. Of the supporting cast, Jurnee Smollett is incredible as the opposing council.

Together, they make sure audiences enjoy themselves in the courtroom.

Grade: Three stars

The Exorcist: Believer (in theaters)

There are some good ideas here, but tragically not many of them are scary.

Though it opens with a genuinely terrifying stretch of nature’s fury, the majority of “The Exorcist: Believer” gets bogged down in thematic explorations. Some of the concepts about faith and community are interesting, but they overstuff a concept meant to work through focus and intimacy. This makes the movie fall flat, with even old reliables like Tubular Bells unable to deliver any real scares.

If there is good to be found here, it’s in the first half of the movie. The opening natural disaster is genuinely frightening, and the slow build as the parents realize the girls are possessed is nicely tense. When things ramp up is when it all starts to fall apart, and not even the considerable skills of Leslie Odom Jr. can save it.

With a different plot, this could have been interesting. But it’s a poor fit for an “Exorcist” movie, no matter how hard it tries.

Grade: One star

Fair Play (Netflix)

“Fair Play” is one of those movies critics like more than audiences do.

The majority of movie critics love when characters dig into the darker depths of their psyche, and the central couple in “Fair Play” do just that. A corporate finance couple who have both poured years of energy into their careers, the duo turn on each other when one gets promoted over the other. It’s a battle of the sexes, and the goal is to draw blood.

Writer/director Chloe Domont undoubtedly wanted to say something profound about the secret ugliness hidden beneath the modern dynamic between the sexes. Whether or not she was effective will depend on your history, but her portrayal of the toxic nature of corporate life is on point.

For the majority of viewers, though, that won't matter. The characters are mostly so unpleasant that it’s hard to care about what happens to them. Spending time with them becomes akin to the worst dinner you’ve ever had with your in-laws, or a particularly nightmarish work meeting, and all you want is to make it stop.

Since it’s a movie, you can do just that.

Grade: Two stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Utah Film Critics Association. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at [email protected].  

Credit for photo ©Prime Video