See or skip? Jennifer Lawrence in 'Causeway'; Daniel Radcliffe in Weird Al film

There’s a binary thread running through this week’s movie releases, with two Mars rovers, two country music icons and two lost souls dealing with PTSD. Then there’s "Weird Al" Yankovic. He’s an undisputed singular disrupter. What else is new? But are any of these flicks worth your time? Read on and decide if you should see or skip:

'Causeway'

As the title suggests, the debut feature from theater director Lila Neugebauer is all about finding refuge above the crushing waves of PTSD. Both New Orleans residents Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) and James (Brian Tyree Henry) have sustained vastly different traumas but discover the aftermath is just as devastating whether the damage was inflicted by war or drunken driving. The two actors strip away the artifice (literally) to summon haunting portrayals of emotional paralysis that can only be healed by their shared experience of survivor’s guilt.  Lawrence is the primary attraction, returning to the unadorned rawness of her work in “Winter’s Bone,” playing a woman failing to transcend a childhood only slightly less injurious than the IED that has temporarily crippled her inside and out. But Henry comes close to surpassing her in their every scene, as his James emerges from a self-inflicted fugue state, coaxed not by Lynsey’s undeniable beauty, but by her empathy and understanding of how to dispel the grief. It’s not perfect. Neugebauer and a trio of writers take a somewhat simplified approach in examining the complexities of the fractured psyche. But “Causeway” remains impactful, proving that when it comes to absolution, there’s nothing more difficult than forgiving yourself. (R for some language, sexual references and drug use; streaming on Apple TV+ Nov. 4; Grade: B) 

'Good Night Oppy'

Is it possible to both love and grieve an inanimate object? When it’s the twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, it’s an emphatic yes. What documentarian Ryan White (“Ask Dr. Ruth”) creates is a sort of real-life “WALL-E” in telling the remarkable tale of two machines ‒ and the humans who brought the high-tech heap of nuts and bolts to life at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Like parents sending their grown children into the world, highly educated engineers weep at the sight of the rovers being launched into space, never to be seen again. But don’t worry, they Zoom regularly, once Spirit and Opportunity safely land on opposite sides of the “Angry Red Planet.” The parental unit sends care packages containing music and software updates across hundreds of thousands of miles, and their offspring send back amazing, detailed videos proving water DID once exist on Mars. We see some of that footage. But I would have liked to have seen more of that, and less of White’s over reliance on computer-animated re-enactments (by George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic) in which the camera focuses on the rovers, not the planet. It’s affecting, just the same. The chief reason being the “eyes,” actually cameras, the animators imbue to inject pet-like characteristics. Alas, like Rover, the rovers do not live forever. And when they die, you shed a tear. But you marvel at the lives they led, both surviving long after their built-in 90-day lifespan. Even more, you admire their parents, the scientists who dedicated more than a decade of their lives to nurturing the metallic babies who more than made them proud. (PG for some mild language; limited theaters Nov. 4, then streaming Prime Video Nov. 23; Grade: B) 

'The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile'

Not content to present just one country great, first-time director Kathlyn Horan offers up two to double our pleasure. And, wow, are they something to see, one at the peak of her talent and fame, and the other coaxed out of a nearly 20-year hiatus to return to the studio under the tutelage of two whippersnappers in Carlile and producer Shooter Jennings. The focus is on Tucker, the hard-living, tabloid darling of the 1970s and ’80s, and the various battle scars she bears as proudly as a war veteran. But Carlile is just as front and center, both geeking out in the presence of her hero and acting the strict parent when her “baby” begins to stray from the straight and narrow. They make an excellent pair, but even more rewarding are their collaborations on Tucker’s comeback (she calls it “relaunch”) album, “While I’m Livin,’” which won them both Grammys for penning the affecting “Bring My Flowers Now.” For her part, Horan exhibits the shakiness of a first-time director, evidenced by her film’s lack of cohesion and purpose. It’s never clear if the focus is on Carlile or the pink-haired Tucker, still as cantankerous and independent as ever. But the nostalgia inspired by photos and film clips of Tucker in her prime eclipses any bumpiness in the telling. And when the two icons join voices, it’s the sound of angels. (R for language; in limited theaters Nov. 4; Grade: B) 

'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story'

Harry Potter’s got a squeeze box and Daddy’s gonna laugh all night. Yes, that’s really Daniel Radcliffe beneath the trademark Jheri curl and aviators in portraying the prolific pontificate of parody, "Weird Al." And he performs like a surgeon, venturing into the imbecilic in challenging us to endure his fat, Amish paradise. And if you can’t subscribe, eat it. Since the real "Weird Al" co-wrote this rewrite of history with director Eric Appel, be assured absurd is the word, with no previous rock 'n' roll biopic spared from mockery. Abetted by Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna and Rainn Wilson as Al’s mentor ‒ or, "dementor" ‒ Doctor Demento, Radcliffe is not just a hoot, but a revelation. A good 8 inches shorter than the real Al, but more than capable of rocking the accordion, Radcliffe takes you on an over-the-top journey highlighting the mandatory sex, drugs and takedown of the Medellin Cartel. Most of this hedonist activity is facilitated by Wood’s dead-on send-up of the money-obsessed Material Girl. From “The Doors” to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” nothing, and no one, is safe from being deservedly skewered. Are there cameos? Delightfully, dozens of them. Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol? Yes, please. (Streaming on Roku starting Nov. 4; Grade: B+)  

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: See or skip? Jennifer Lawrence in Causeway; Daniel Radcliffe in Weird