Hitchcock

Ends tonight, Jan. 3. Ostensibly a tell-all biopic based on the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello, this slightly rancid bit of movie portraiture does little justice to the book or to Hitchcock. The perverse quirks of the great director’s character and of his elder years in particular are no secret, but this complacently lurid account of the man and his work is little more than tabloid sensationalism of a maudlin and pseudo-sophisticated sort. Anthony Hopkins’ performance in the title role almost never rings true, which is probably more of a reflection on the ham-fistedness of the script (John J. McLaughlin) and the direction (Sacha Gervasi) than on the actor. Helen Mirren as Alma Reville, Hitchcock’s wife and creative partner, and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh are the film’s lone bright spots. Pageant Theatre. Rated PG-13.