In need of a laugh? Try The Family Stone (Fox, 24.99) which features a half decent cast — Claire Danes, Diane Keaton and Sarah Jessica Parker, for example — in a light romantic comedy that hits most of the right spots.

We've been seeing a lot of similar family-based films of late, all with much the same theme of the potential bride/bridegroom being introduced to his/her family.

One of those typical Hollywood romances full of characters and situations we seldom encounter in real life and yet it still manages to entertain, on its own level.

Filming has begun in London on British director Peter Hewitt’s Garfield, which is based on the American comic strip about an overweight, sardonic cat saddled with a nerdy owner and a nitwit dog.

About Schmidt: After a lifetime of faithful devotion to his wife, his daughter and his job, Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) comes to the frightening realisation that his life has been a complete waste of time. He keeps asking himself the same question: “What difference have I made?”, and he keeps coming up with the same answer: “None”.

A Golden Globe for Nicholson and much talk of yet another Oscar; as the Schmidt of the title, he does look a shoo-in.