Paste's Massive Guide To The 50 Summer 2011 Movies That Matter

Illustrations by Laura Medina

Page 2 of 5

11. Bad Teacher

Release Date: June 24
Director: Jake Kasden
Stars: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel
Cameron Diaz’ character Elizabeth Halsey sounds like the exact opposite of Mary—a teacher who hates her job and cares little for her kids, just trying to marry her way out of having to work for a living.

12. Passione

Release Date: June 22
Director: John Turturro
Stars: Avion Travel, Massimo Ranieri, Lina Sastri, M’barka Ben Taleb
John Turturro’s musical ode to Naples is getting a week-long run at New York’s Film Forum.

13. A Better Life

Release Date: June 24
Director: Chris Weitz
Stars: Demián Bichir, Jose Julian
After directing tween fantasy fare The Golden Compass and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Chris Weitz narrows the focus of this small film about a Mexican laborer trying to provide opportunities for his son.

14. Cars 2

Release Date: June 24
Directors: Brad Lewis, John Lasseter
Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin
Cars may have been one of our least favorite Pixar movies, but we’re still talking about Pixar. This time Lightning McQueen goes global.

15. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop

Release Date: June 24
Director: Rodman Flender
Stars: Conan O’Brien
After premiering at SXSW, the documentary following Coco on his U.S. tour after his split with NBC is getting released simultaneously in theaters and via AT&T U-verse.

16. My Afternoons With Marguerite (La tête en friche)

Release Date: June 24
Director: Jean Becker
Stars: Gerard Depardieu, Sophie Guillemin, Claire Maurier
This odd couple involves a lonely illiterate man and an older well-read woman in this adaptation of a Marie-Sabine Roger novel.

17. Page One: Inside the New York Times

Release Date: June 24
Director: Andrew Rossi
Stars: David Carr
Like the paper it’s documenting, the creators of Page One manage to be in the right place at the right time. When a New York Times editor takes a call from WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange the cameras are there to catch a discussion on what secrets the Times might print. It’s also a moment representative of the problems plaguing the publishing world—how to disseminate the news in a fluid state of technology. The always entertaining Times reporter David Carr could easily have been the focus of the entire film, but director Andrew Rossi smartly uses Carr as an appropriate voice of experience. The grizzled journalist is a film editor’s dream as he speaks in sharp, insightful, and seemingly effortless sound bites.—Tim Basham

19. Turtle: The Incredible Journey

Release Date: June 24
Director: Nick Stringer
Stars: Miranda Richardson (narrator)
Call it The March of the Turtle. This underwater documentary follows the migration of a single threatened loggerhead turtle from an egg in Florida across the Atlantic and back.

20. A Little Help

Release Date: July 1
Director: Michael J. Weithorn
Stars: Jenna Fischer
Many of the actors on beloved hit show The Office can credit its success for helping them launch fledgling film careers. Now it’s Jenna Fischer’s turn, everyone’s favorite girl-next-door-who-is-also-the-girl-of-your-dreams. Fischer’s tried before, with roles in Blades of Glory and Walk Hard, but she headlines the indie drama A Little Help in what might prove to be baby steps toward life outside of Dunder Mifflin. She plays a recently widowed single mother who reembarks in an affair with her brother-in-law. The flick will see the feature film writing and directing debut for King of Queens creator Michael J. Weithorn.—Jeremy Medina