X-Men United, after director Bryan Singer read his screenplay about a splintering family coping with tragedy. A sharply observed tragicomedy that draws laughter as genuinely as it coaxes tears, the nicely paced film tempers its themes of loss and sorrow with a cynically witty edge and is graced by a perfectly pitched Sigourney Weaver performance. Sony Pictures Classics, which picked up the picture last month for U.S. distribution, should see a sturdy return on its investment, especially if it succeeds in conveying the film's quirkier aspects.

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