As a first-time filmmaker, Jonathan Kasdan comes across as a likable guy. His debut effort, In the Land of Women, is an often affably amusing, agreeably witty movie. Kasdan, it should be noted, is the son of director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, Body Heat) and the younger brother of Jake Kasdan, who also has a film in current release, The TV Set.

There are any number of reasons why you might put down your hard-earned dollars to see a movie. The advertising for Fracture relies heavily on the fact that it stars Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, which was enough for me: Hopkins is generally as much fun to watch in a bad movie as he is in a good one, and Gosling, whose recent Oscar nomination for the independent film Half Nelson was richly deserved, is one of the most promising young actors in movies at the moment. (A supporting cast that includes David Straithairn and Fiona Shaw doesn’t hurt.)