Dinner For Schmucks (Cert 12, 109 mins)

Paramount Home Entertainment, Comedy/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99

Starring: Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Kristen Schaal, Bruce Greenwood, David Walliams, Stephanie Szostak, Lucy Punch, Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement.

TIM Conrad (Paul Rudd) is an ambitious analyst at Fender Financial, who is desperate to ascend to the dizzy heights of the executive offices on the seventh floor. He seizes his chance during a meeting with owner Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood), revealing that he has wooed Swiss businessman Mueller (David Walliams) as a potential new client. Fender is impressed and invites Tim to his monthly top-secret dinner where everyone brings along a very special companion. “You invite idiots to dinner and make fun of them?” asks Tim incredulously. By chance, Tim runs into Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee Barry Speck (Steve Carell), who creates what he refers to as mouse-terpieces: miniature, handmade panoramas featuring costumed, dead rodents in romantic poses. Tim feels certain that he has found the biggest idiot of them all. Jay Roach’s English language remake of the 1999 French comedy Le Diner De Cons is a series of lame jokes without punchlines that would be completely tiresome were it not for Carell’s winning performance.

Rating: ***

The Switch (Cert 12, 97 mins) Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Comedy/Romance, also available to buy DVD £17.99/Blu-ray & DVD Combi-pack £22.99

Starring: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Thomas Robinson, Juliette Lewis.

WALLY Mars (Jason Bateman) loves best friend Kassie Larson (Jennifer Aniston) but cannot declare his true feelings. He is shocked when she announces her plan to have a child with the help of a donor, Roland (Patrick Wilson). Wally drowns his sorrows, only to accidentally destroy the freshly produced pot of sperm. He attempts to cover up his blunder by replenishing the sample and wakes the next morning with a crushing hangover and no recollection of his actions. Seven years later, when Wally finally meets Kassie’s son, Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), he notices familiar behavioural ticks and suddenly the memory of that fateful night comes flooding back.

Rating: ***

The Hole (Cert 12, 88 mins)

Entertainment One, Family/Thriller, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99

Starring: Chris Massoglia, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett, Teri Polo, Bruce Dern.

SUSAN Thompson (Teri Polo) is forced to uproot her family for the umpteenth time to a new, secluded neighbourhood, causing friction with her teenage son Dane (Chris Massoglia). She tries to persuade Dane that life will quickly return to normal. Younger son Lucas (Nathan Gamble) accepts the situation far more readily and even annoys his sibling by befriending the cute girl next door, Julie Campbell (Haley Bennett). Playing in the basement one day, Dane and Lucas discover a trapdoor secured with several padlocks. Foolishly, the boys decide to remove the locks and open the trapdoor to reveal a seemingly bottomless pit.

Rating: ***