Below are Mini Reviews from Cineman Syndicate for three films opening on June 5, 2009.

MY LIFE IN RUINS. Nia My Big Fat Greek Wedding Vardalos stars in this shambles of a romantic comedy. She plays a Greek-American tour guide in Athens whose high standards and grousing about the culture prevent her from leading satisfying excursions or falling in love. Then one day a wisenheimer widower (Richard Dreyfuss) shows up and helps her find her missing mojo, not to mention the hirsute hunk behind the wheel of her tour bus. The best that can be said about the obnoxious, formulaic endeavor is that the slimmed-down Vardalos and the scenery both look hot. In every other respect, it's a trip to comedy hell. (PG-13) BORING ROMANTIC-COMEDY. Direcor - Donald Petrie;  Lead - Nia Vardalos; Running Time - 96 minutes.

LAND OF THE LOST. Because Will Ferrell's sketch-comedy style and Sid & Marty Krofft's sensibility don't mix, this take-off on the 1974 children's TV show gets stuck in the alimentary canal of a T. Rex. When in doubt, gross 'em out. There are moments, but the crudish humor doesn't provoke consistent laughter, and the special effects serve a muddled story. Humiliated by Matt Lauer, Ferrell's dim-witted paleontologist is vindicated when, along with a pert British researcher (Anna Friel) and a denim-encased redneck (Danny McBride), he enters a dimension where dinosaurs roam free and primates are nervous. Both the space-time continuum and the boundaries between genres are breached. (PG-13) FAIR COMEDY-ADVENTURE.  Director - Brad Silberling; Lead - Will Ferrell; Running Time - 93 minutes

THE HANGOVER. A well-constructed comedy can be a beautiful thing. In this hilariously ribald example from the director of Old School, when four guys head to Vegas for a bachelor party we don't witness their debauchery but rather its aftermath. They wake to find a tiger and a baby in their hotel suite, plus a big surprise when the parking attendant brings their car around. Oh, and the groom is missing. A fantastic blend of raunch and more cerebral, off-the-wall humor, this isn't a case of reinventing the wheel but shaping it so that it rolls pure. Watch the end credits for glimpses of what transpired the night before. (R) GREAT COMEDY. Director -Todd Phillips;  Lead -Bradley Cooper; Running Time - 98 minutes. 

COPYRIGHT 2009 CINEMAN SYNDICATE LLC

(All three capsule reviews by John P. McCarthy)