This week at the movies, we've got a bridal battle (Bride Wars, starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson); a cranky car enthusiast (Gran Torino, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood); mystic monsters (The Unborn, starring Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman); and marital mishaps (Not Easily Broken, starring Taraji P. Henson and Morris Chestnut). What do the critics have to say?

The stress of an upcoming wedding can drive even the most levelheaded people crazy. And, though they haven't been tasked with hiring a band or picking out a caterer, critics have also been provoked to bouts of insanity by Bride Wars. The film stars Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as a pair of BFFs who discover they've scheduled their weddings for the same date; cattiness and sabotage ensue. The pundits say that this nominal satire studiously avoids taking anything but limp jabs at our wedding-obsessed culture; worse, the usually-winning leads are saddled with characters that aren't particularly likable -- or smart. At four percent on the Tomatometer, Bride Wars seems destined for cinematic annulment.

As an actor and director, Clint Eastwood's august years have proven to be as fertile as any point in his career -- and the critics say his latest, ahem, vehicle, Gran Torino, is no exception. Eastwood stars as a curmudgeonly, racist Korean War vet whose life changes when an Asian-American boy from the neighborhood attempts to steal his prized Gran Torino. The two form an unlikely bond -- and Clint finds himself protecting the boy's family from neighborhood toughs. The pundits say Gran Torino is heartfelt, funny, and smart, featuring a sly, self-deprecating performance from one of America's most iconic actors. Certified Fresh at 74 percent on the Tomatometer, Gran Torino is worth a spin. (Check out this week's Total Recall, in which we celebrate some of cinema's stodgiest curmudgeons.)

Nothing spices up a horror flick like some good old time religion, right? Unfortunately, critics say The Unborn's blend of Jewish mysticism and horror tropes is bedeviled by overplotting. Odette Yustman stars as Casey, a young woman with a traumatic family history who's haunted by a demonic spirit - one that traverses the nebulous world between the living and the dead and searches for a body to inhabit. Director David S. Goyer certainly knows his way around a good script -- heck, the man penned Dark City and Batman Begins -- but critics say The Unborn is a convoluted ghost yarn that borrows liberally from The Exorcist and confounds more that frightens. At 13 percent on the Tomatometer, audiences might want to abstain from The Unborn. (Click here for our interview with Goyer, in which he discusses his five favorite films.)

Good intentions don't necessarily make for compelling cinema. Case in point: Not Easily Broken, which critics say contains an unimpeachable message about familial responsibility, but is hampered by its sermonizing tone. Based on a novel by Bishop T.D. Jakes, Not Easily Broken stars Taraji P. Henson and Morris Chestnut as Clarice and Dave, a married couple with some serious problems. Clarice's status as the breadwinner threatens Dave's self-image, but when tragedy strikes, Dave learns to be a better man -- with plenty assist from the Man upstairs. The pundits say Not Easily Broken is sincere and well-acted but essentially generic, featuring melodramatic plotting and an intrusive voiceover. At 20 percent on the Tomatometer, this may Not be your top choice this weekend.

Also opening this week in limited release:

• Silent Light, Carlos Reygadas' examination of faith and love in a Mennonite community, is at 80 percent.

• The Danish import Just Another Love Story, a neo-noir with twists, turns, mistaken identity, infidelity, and amnesia, is at 80 percent.

• Yonkers Joe, starring Chazz Palminteri as an aging gambler who's looking for one last score while facing up to parental responsibility, is at 50 percent.

Recent Anne Hathaway Movies:

• 87% -- Rachel Getting Married (2008)
• 21% -- Passengers (2008)
• 53% -- Get Smart (2008)
• 57% -- Becoming Jane (2007)
• 76% -- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)