God of Carnage

Civilized behavior, Yasmina Reza says in her comedy, is a brittle facade hiding the savage impulse to dominate and control. That may not be a terribly deep observation on paper, but ace English director Matthew Warchus (The Norman Conquests) whips up a hilarious and stylish ensemble farce, with carefully calibrated power shifts. The current cast includes Dylan Baker, Jeff Daniels, Lucy Liu and Janet McTeer.—David Cote