In theaters

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, directed by Tom Vaughan, written by Dana Fox, 99 minutes, rated PG-13.

Tom Vaughan’s romantic comedy “What Happens in Vegas” stars Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as Jack and Joy, two good-looking New Yorkers who know nothing about each other when they meet while on vacation in Las Vegas, and who know only slightly more about each other when they return home as a not-so-happily married couple.

Here are a few critical things they learn about each other while in the loose, drunken arms of Sin City: Neither can handle booze; each looks hot after several shots; Joy is a powerhouse when it comes to sliding across a bar top; and Jack is a funnel of good times.

Turns out that’s enough for marriage, particularly for these two desperate souls, each of whom was on the rebound before they left for Las Vegas.

Jack, for instance, was just fired from his job as a furniture-maker by his own father (Treat Williams), while Joy, a commodities trader, was publicly dumped by her fiance, who decided he just wasn’t that into her. So, what better way to cap off a bad week than with a fantastic night out on the town that results in a quickie wedding?

Moreover, what better way to screw up your life than with the complications that ensue when Jack uses Joy’s money to unexpectedly win $3 million on a slot pull? Considering that Jack wins the jackpot the day after their impromptu wedding, the money now belongs to both of them, and – go figure – they’re willing to fight for their share of it, regardless of the cost.

From Dana Fox’s fizzy, formulaic script, “What Happens in Vegas” offers more smiles than big laughs, but it’s never short on charm and it gets points for not being the gross-out comedy the genre usually attracts.

The movie bounces and maneuvers through a clutch of circumstances that only could happen in a movie, such as when Joy and Jack go to divorce court and the judge (Dennis Miller) sentences them to “six months of hard marriage.”

For them, this means moving in together and – at least on paper – actually giving their marriage a go. An underused Queen Latifah is the psychologist charged by the court to guide them through what married life is supposed to be about, even though each tries their best to destroy it and each other along the way.

Or, at least part of the way.

Since nobody coming to this movie will be surprised at what eventually occurs between Joy and Jack, it’s to Kutcher’s and Diaz’s credit that they make this greased slope of silliness as light and as enjoyable as it is. They’re perfectly suited together, easily lifting a film that just as easily could have gone south without the right cast and chemistry.

Helping to that end are fine supporting turns by Dennis Farina as Joy’s prickly boss, Dick Banger; Rob Corddry as Jack’s friend, Hater; and especially Lake Bell as Joy’s best friend, Tipper, who is so sour and dour, her grumbling wit consistently at the ready, that she could turn white walls black merely by entering a room.

In this movie, we’re all better for it.

Grade: B-

On DVD

THE GREAT DEBATERS, by Denzel Washington, written by Robert Eisele, 127 minutes, rated PG-13.

Denzel Washington’s “The Great Debaters” is about finding the courage to raise your voice in the face of great hatred, opposition and fear.

The film fictionalizes the true story about the all-black Wiley College debate team which, in 1935 Marshall, Texas, did what nobody had done before it. In the segregated Jim Crow South, where lynching was common, they found power in words and their own voices. Frustrated by the oppression restricting them, they decided to come forward and reach white America by debating at mostly white schools.

Their coach was Melvin B. Tolson (Washington), the well-known poet, activist and professor. Not so secretly and under the cover of night, he held meetings to discuss the unionization of black and white sharecroppers, which at the time was enough to leave many in town whispering that Tolson was a communist.

In the movie, that accusation causes him trouble, but he still sidesteps the rumors to remain steadfast in his beliefs. He is forming two revolutions at once – one via his students’ debates, which culminate at Harvard; and the other via the sharecroppers’ unionization. Each helps show him as a complex man driven to push people to a higher plane.

Mostly, though, the movie is about Tolson’s students, who are portrayed by such gifted young actors (Nate Parker, Jermaine Williams, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker), that they infuse the film with the weight it needed to balance an otherwise predictable tale (Robert Eisele wrote the script; Oprah Winfrey produced).

All are excellent, particularly Whitaker as James Farmer Jr., the young man who pines for Smollett’s Samantha, learns plenty about life from his father (Forest Whitaker), and who eventually grew up to become the founder of the Congress of Racial Equality.

His voice, honed by a teacher, went on to touch many.

Grade: B+

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, video podcasts, iTunes portal and archive of hundreds of movie reviews. Smith’s reviews appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.

New to DVD

Renting a DVD? BDN film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases. Those in bold print are new to stores this week.

Across the Universe – C+

The Adventures of Mimi – B+

All You Need Is Love – A-

American Gangster – B

Balls of Fury – D+

Bee Movie – C

Beverly Hills 90210: Fourth Season – B

Bewitched: Sixth Season – B-

The Brave One – C

Charlie Wilson’s War – B+

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe: Blu-Ray – A

Cloverfield – B

Die Hard: Ultimate Collection – B+

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – A

Dragon Wars – D+

Eastern Promises – A-

Elizabeth: The Golden Age – C

Enchanted – A-

Evan Almighty – C

The Golden Compass – C+

Gone Baby Gone – B+

The Great Debaters – B+

The Hottie & the Nottie – D-

I Am Legend – B-

I’m Not There – C-

In the Valley of Elah – B+

Juno – A-

The Kite Runner – B-

Lars and the Real Girl – B+

Lions for Lambs – C

Love in the Time of Cholera – C

Lust, Caution – C

Maggie Smith At The BBC – B+

Michael Clayton – A-

Mission: Impossible Fourth Season – B+

The Mist – B+

National Treasure: Blu-Ray – C-

National Treasure: Book of Secrets – C+

Next: Blu-Ray – D

No Country for Old Men – A

No Reservations – B-

Ocean’s Eleven: Blu-Ray – B

Ocean’s Twelve: Blu-Ray – C-

One Missed Call – D

Ratatouille – A

Rendition – C+

The Romance Collection – A-

The Savages – B+

Shall We Dance: Blu-Ray – B

Sweeney Todd – A

There Will Be Blood – A

3:10 to Yuma – A

2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – A

V for Vendetta: Blu-Ray – B+

Water Horse: Legend of the Deep – B

Youth Without Youth – C-