Kristen Bell to join 'Everybody Loves Whales'

Kristen Bell's "When in Rome" sucked so bad, she really needs a good film now to restore the damage the disastrous comedy caused on the big screen. Maybe "Everybody Loves Whales" will help.

Bell is in talks to join the project, which already stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. Universal is developing "Whales," and Ken Kwapis is in talks to direct, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Set in 1988, the story follows a news reporter and Greenpeace member (John & Drew) who do whatever it takes to save three whales trapped in Arctic Circle. Bell plays a reporter looking for the big break.

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'He's Just Not That Into You' takes box office lead

Ken Kwapis' latest comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" topped the North American box office Friday with an estimated $10.5 million in ticket sales.

Featuring a cast including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin and Scarlett Johansson, the film follows a bunch of individuals discovering new truths about dating and married life.

At No. 2, Pierre Morel's thriller "Taken" scored another $6.3 million, lifting its total haul to $39.3 million after one week in theaters. Following in third place with $4.5 million was Henry Selick's 3D stop-motion adventure "Coraline," based on the book by Neil Gaiman.

Meanwhile, new entry "Push" debuted at No. 4 with $3.5 million, beating "The Pink Panther 2," which only made it to fifth place with $3.3 million. The latter stars Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau, who's on a mission to find a thief and retrieve the stolen Pink Panther diamond.

Other results from Friday's box office: "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" takes No. 6 with $2.7 million, while "The Uninvited" pulled $2.1 million in seventh place. Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" finished at No. 8 with $1.9 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

'He's Just Not That Into You' web reviews

Dating and married life are placed under scrutiny in Ken Kwapis' latest comedy "He's Just Not That Into You," starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long. It's a great cast, but how great is the movie?

• CinemaBlend's Katey Rich: "So it's not that funny, not that smart, and not that original, but the movie has a hypnotic pull regardless."

• Matt Goldberg at Collider: "Director Ken Kwapis has absolutely no idea what he's doing with this film. He divides it up into sections, there are brief "man-on-the-street" interviews (done by actors so what's the point?), and then there are about five inter-linked love stories."

• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "Like I said, just watching this film is a social experiment and going to the theater to watch it should be considered extra credit."

• Ron Henriques at LatinoReview: "But this film manages to make both men and women look like buffoons when all of their problems can be solved by a little communication with each other."

• William Goss at Cinematical: "Nah, at the end of the day, this film feels more like a one night stand than anything else: you'll enjoy taking it home overnight, but when tomorrow comes, it's less a matter of calling it as merely recalling it."

Posters for 'The Reader,' 'Just Not Into You'

Let's start off today with two pretty interesting one-sheets. The first you'll see after the jump (via Cinematical) is for Stephen Daldry's upcoming drama "The Reader."

Starring Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet, the film follows a young man who begins a long, obsessive affair with Hanna, an enigmatic older woman who hides a dark secret.

The second poster (via Joblo) is for Ken Kwapis' latest comedy "He's Just Not That Into You," starring Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck and others.

Based on the book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, the film is primarily about reading and misreading human behavior. "Not Into You" opens Feb. 6, 2009, while "The Reader" is set for release Jan. 9, 2009.

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