Two lifelong BFFs (Drew Barrymore & Toni Collette, straining for chemistry) leave no cliché unturned as they face the challenges of adulthood. Then one of them gets sick. Well, of course it’s manipulative; it’s a cancer weepie. Plus it’s directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who’s currently under indictment for Twilight. But it’s unabashedly so, and doesn’t shy away from the hard bits. It’s tonally a mess, but likeably gushy and even funny in places. Call it a better-acted, less annoying Beaches. Bottom line: Nothing new, but compulsively watchable for Collette’s sweeping, exuberant performance.

Japanese title: My Best Friend. (112 min)