contrived

And it’s here that “Keeper” starts to unravel, the arrestingly pristine visuals and hypnotic rhythms giving way to contrived explanations.

Instead they stepped in to prevent the failure of the big Wall Street firms that had contrived to bankrupt themselves by making a lot of dumb bets on subprime borrowers.

In a film so terrible, Wever stands out as its only bright spot, initially making her performance seem uniquely bad and strangely contrived when, in fact, it’s easily the best of the bunch.

The problem with “The Heart Sellers” is that Luna and Jane are saddled with a contrived premise that doesn’t allow them sufficient room for dramatic complexity.

Mr. Johnson does not seem quite comfortable putting a plot in motion, and the novel’s ending is somehow both haphazard and contrived.