A Wrinkle in Time

Three kids (Storm Reid, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe) search across the universe for the missing father of two of them (Chris Pine). Director Ava DuVernay and writers Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell turn Madeleine L’Engle’s fantasy novel into a truly epic fiasco, with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling (as the kids’ cosmic guides) flouncing around like tacky disco drag queen hookers in the nadir of their careers. DuVernay’s ineptitude is total—the camera always too close, too far away, clumsily moving or at an ugly angle, the editing lurching and rhythmless. Performances range from dull (Reid) to obnoxious (McCabe) to humiliating (Witherspoon, Kaling, Winfrey), never wandering—not even by accident—into the vicinity of interesting. This turkey is a shoo-in to sweep the Razzie Awards.