Playdate

A smart and witty debut, Playdate is a family drama set against looming Santa Ana winds, which threaten a utopian Southern California community. Inside a well-manicured home, Belle is a sharp-tongued tween, who is mortified by her dad, Lance, running the cookie campaign for her Girl Scout troop. Lance is a former weatherman turned stay-at-home dad who practices yoga. Darlene isa classic workaholic, but with her hours neatly penciled in, she has little patience for the needs of her husband and daughter.Managing their own suburban paradise are Alec, a womanizing businessman and financial backer-and sometimes more-behind Darlene's burgeoning empire. His wife, Wren, an eager yogi, ready to lay down the mat for a quick session with Lance. When the fires reach the confines of this seemingly blissful neighborhood, passions and true desires are brought to the surface. What happens next door, beyond the hedges, in the romper room and executive office-it's all as combustible as a quick brushfire on a windy day.

THELMA ADAMS has been Us Weekly’s film critic since 2000; after six years reviewing at the New York Post. She has written for Marie Claire, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Self. She lives in New York with her family.