First came “Phone Booth,” in which Colin Farrell was trapped under a sniper’s predatory gaze while making a call in Times Square. Now we have a kidnapped Kim Basinger randomly calling a surfer dude’s mobile phone for help. While the filmmakers insist that their movie is rooted in reality, “Cellular” functions best when it has a little fun with itself and embraces its innate B-movie tendencies.

Basinger, for example, plays Jessica Martin, arguably the hottest high-school science teacher ever. By simply clicking a couple of wires together, she dials shirtless slacker Ryan (Chris Evans), who’s at the beach and is naturally skeptical of her call. Rated: PG-13 for violence, terror situations, language and sexual references. Running time: 89 min. Rating: 2 out of 4 stars.

– Christy Lemire, AP Entertainment Writer