Chris Azzopardi

With the same kind of sweetness and heightened stylization that he brought to “Hairspray,” the director Adam Shankman balances jokes for an in-crowd with the pleasures of spoofs like “Airplane!” and “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” plus the appeal of seeing Joel McHale in a harness (one of the better star cameos, which also include Sarah Michelle Gellar and Charo).

McCarthy’s direction is assured and lively, so clearly a homage to the films, like “She’s the Man,” that inspired this one. Some flaws, such as actors past their teenage years that would never pass as high school students, just feel like part of the movie’s detachment from reality.

Janney veers from fury to reflection to tearfulness so vigorously it’s as if she knows that heavy lifting is required to take this story off the page.

By putting us inside the internet, Corrigan makes their insular world feel uncomfortably close to ours.

Departures is still tender and winsome, with graphic-novel-style animation lightening the load, but is ultimately punishing in tone. It lives by a truth that might ring familiar for gay men particularly: Humor that cuts deep is a form of survival.

In this strikingly assured debut, the writer-director Georgi M. Unkovski demonstrates gentle realism, paired with luminous cinematography and a superb young cast.

Though Reinhart and Pedretti chew through the scenery with dedication, the film, directed and written by Meredith Alloway, is a vibes-only pastiche that has little to add to the satirical queen-bee subgenre besides some updated slang.

The movie’s intermittent flippancy is its lifeblood, with Christoph Waltz’s cheeky vampire hunter delighting even when he seems to be off doing his own thing.

Paying for It keeps its narrative tight, perhaps overly simple. There’s space to savor the retro intimacy, amplified by the film’s striking primary colors and lo-fi rock soundtrack. Lee — while only gesturing toward the complexities of open arrangements — captures Chester and Sonny in a fleeting time that feels soft, but not shy.

It’s an accessible presentation for fans. Others may find it too insider-focused, even as it renders Selena’s symbolic self more human.