Holiday Movies By washingtonpost.com Staff Updated Dec. 12, 2001

Will Smith, as Ali, throws punches at Michael Bent, playing Sonny Liston, in "Ali." (Columbia Pictures)

"The Fellowship of the Ring" (PG-13): The long-awaited adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novel (the first in a series of three) stars Elijah Wood as the hobbit Frodo Baggins, who must travel, along with several companions, across Middle-earth to the Crack of Doom. There he must destroy the One Ring, which could enable the dark lord Sauron to take control of Middle-earth. Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen and Liv Tyler co-star.

Opening Friday, Dec. 21:

"A Beautiful Mind" (PG-13): Partially based on Sylvia Nasar's biography, this film is "inspired by" events in the life of John Forbes Nash Jr., a gifted mathematician who struggled for years with paranoid schizophrenia. In real life, Nash won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994 for his work in game theory, which he had pioneered several decades earlier. Russell Crowe plays Nash, and Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris also star in this film from director Ron Howard.

"How High" (R): Silas (Method Man) and Jamal (Redman) smoke some marijuana that has an unusual effect on them: It makes them so smart that they ace their college entrance exams and are accepted into Harvard University. With a little help from their super pot, at first they handle Ivy League life fairly well. But as their supply of herb drops, so do their grades.

"Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius" (G): In this animated film from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, Jimmy Neutron is a 10-year-old genius who's always creating gadgets. When Jimmy's parents are kidnapped by invading aliens, he and his buddies – trusty robotic dog Goddard, best friend Carl Wheezer and rival Cindy Vortex – soar to the stars to save them.

"Joe Somebody" (Not Yet Rated): Tim Allen plays Joe, a corporate loser from Minnesota who gets beaten up by a coworker (Patrick Warburton) over a parking space. Joe's humiliation is furthered by the fact that his daughter (Hayden Panettiere) witnesses the attack because it is "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day." When Joe prepares to get his revenge, he becomes a changed man. Julie Bowen from TV's "Ed" co-stars.

"La Buche" (PG-13): Screenwriter Daniele Thompson makes her debut as a feature director with this French film about a woman (Francoise Fabian) whose second husband dies a few days before Christmas. In her grief, she turns to her three daughters from her first marriage for comfort, and finds each of them distracted by her own problems.

"The Majestic" (PG-13): Filmmaker Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption," "The Green Mile") departs from prison-themed films to direct this Capra-esque tale set in the 1950s. Jim Carrey stars as a blacklisted writer who gets amnesia after being in a car accident. He winds up living in a small California town where everyone mistakes him for a soldier believed to have died in World War II, the son of the local cinema owner.

"The Royal Tenenbaums" (R): The team that made 1998's offbeat "Rushmore" returns with this story about a newly reunited (but still neurotic) family of former child prodigies. Directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson, "Tenenbaums" boasts an impressive cast, including Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover and Bill Murray.

Opening Dec. 25:

"Ali" (Not Yet Rated): Will Smith stars as the man who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee in this much-anticipated partial biopic about Muhammad Ali. Directed by Michael Mann ("The Insider"), the film – which focuses on Ali's early days as a boxer through his famed bout with George Foreman – also stars Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight (in heavy make-up as Howard Cosell), Mario Van Peebles and Ron Silver.

"In The Bedroom" (R): Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson star in this already critically acclaimed film (it was released in New York in November) about a New England couple struggling to cope with their son's murder.

"Kate & Leopold" (PG-13): Career-oriented, modern Kate (Meg Ryan) meets Leopold (Hugh Jackman), a 19th-century bachelor who has been accidentally sent into the future. While a team of scientists tries to figure out how to send him home, Kate shows Leopold around New York. You can probably guess what happens next.

"The Shipping News" (PG-13): This heavyweight drama, arriving just in time for Academy Award season, is based on the National Book Award-winning novel by Annie Proulx about a journalist (played by Kevin Spacey) who moves with his daughter to the coast of Newfoundland. The cast includes Oscar winner Judi Dench and previous nominees Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore. Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat," "The Cider House Rules") directs.