Every summer, the same embarrassing routine plays itself out: first, we suffer weeks of hype, telling us that the kid's love is real, that the p.o.v. shots from the falling bombs are incredible, that never-seen-before monsters will come to wipe the silly smile off our planet. Then, without fail, it turns out that the only smiles that are getting wiped are those of studio bosses with hundred-million dollar turkeys on their hands and, of course, those of gullible movie goers who actually believed all the hokum. Finally, when the heat really kicks in and the only good reason to see any of those bloated blockbusters is the free air-conditioning, the critics pipe in: "worst summer ever" they whine like the comic book guy from The Simpsons.

More of this Feature • Part 2: The Best Movie Ever Made About The Flemish Entertainment Industry

Join the Discussion The Anniversary Party Who's your favorite party guest? Vote here   Sexy Beast Ben Kingsley, non-non-violent. "Ghandi" is overrated Pearl Harbor How to tell your coworkers that you don't care. Memento Tatoos and insulin: still confused? Get answers in the Forum Evolution "Like 'Ghostbusters' without Bill Murray." Just how bad was this film? With a Friend Like Harry Best Film of 2001? "I loved it!"

More Reviews • Life and Debt • The Wide Blue Road • Startup.com • Once Upon A Time in China • The Golden Bowl

Sorry folks: you can only be disappointed if you actually believed that this year's slate of schlock would be any better than last years'. I mean, how many summers is it going to take before someone realizes that none of that stuff ever lives up to the promises? (Full disclosure: after my holiday vow to stay away from the multiplex, I finally went back after half a year. See what I thought.)

The truth is, there are always good films out there. In the cracks the Hollywood juggernaut can't quite reach, smart and entertaining movies are thriving - you just have to know where to look. If you can just manage to ignore the advertising blitz, there's a cool half dozen of fresh movies playing right now, movies that aren't an insult to your intelligence. To wit: Memento, With a Friend Like Harry, The Princess and the Warrior, Sexy Beast, Himalaya, and The Anniversary Party are all well above average movies that won't leave you feeling like a sucker.

Opening this week are two worthy additions to that list:

The Closet
If you are in the mood for light, fluffy summer fare, Francis Veber's The Closet is the perfect pick. Don't waste your dough on The Animal or Scary Movie 2 - I'll bet a bottle of Bordeaux that this one's funnier.

Gerard Depardieu as the bigoted condom factory rugby coach. Not a role you get to play every day.

The Closet is a farce about luckless Francois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil), a pale accountant at a condom factory whose wife has left him, whose son is bored by him, and whose coworkers make jokes at his expense. When Francois learns that he is about to lose his job, he contrives a plan: anonymously, he sends doctored pictures of himself living it up in a gay bar to the company. His bosses are worried about a lawsuit, and Pignon gets to keep his job. Then, of course, his plan spins out of control. Auteil, a French Robert DeNiro with an unrivaled deadpan, is excellent, and Gerard Depardieu hams it up in the role of Pignon's homophobic rugby coach.

Veber, who made "The Dinner Game," (which, by the way, is being remade by Kevin Kline as Dinner for Schmucks), the classic Pierre Richard comedies, and the original La Cage aux Folles, is a master of comedy, and The Closet is a sparkling summer delight.

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