When a director adapts a one-set play for the screen, there’s sometimes the expectation that he’ll open up the material a little bit and set scenes in other places, just to let some air in and freshen up the movie’s visual sameness. Not so Roman Polanski, who adapted Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage: The title’s been shortened to Carnage, but that’s the only noticeable change in a production that’s just as claustrophobic as the original, with asides that happen just a few feet away from the characters who aren’t supposed to be listening. And while we’ve got a heavy-duty cast here — the two couples warring over their children’s fight include Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly on one side, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz on the other — they seem to be pitching their performances to the cheap seats as well. Should they need a third title, Winslet Goes Wild is definitely an option.
