“The Professor And The Madman” (*1/2 out of four) was a ponderous adaptation of Simon Winchester’s novel set in 1857 about a doctor (Mel Gibson) who is overseeing the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and forms a relationship with another doctor (Sean Penn) who is a deranged lunatic and in prison. Both Gibson and Penn are good as usual but are unable to enliven or enrich this dry material which meanders in too many different directions and for far too long at over two hours. Made in 2016 and was re-tooled many times to no avail. Director Farhad Siminia successfully sued to have his name removed from the film. Bear McCreary’s rich music score is one of film’s few virtues.