Sandy Kenyon reviews the surprisingly enjoyable 'Sleepless'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- January is where bad movies go to die, and with "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" still flying high and Oscar contenders going wide into many more theaters, Hollywood studios dump their worst films right now.

"Sleepless" wasn't shown to critics in advance -- never a good sign -- but you'll actually feel like you got your money's worth.

Jamie Foxx plays a cop in Las Vegas who is sleepless, and the title is more forgettable than the surprisingly entertaining movie.

It's a project that looks good on paper to agents anxious to make their clients money, and it begins with a big star attached. Then it adds a rapper -- T.I. in this case -- hoping he will draw his fans, and the whole thing hurtles towards filming in the hopes that no one will notice the many holes in the plot. Because in the haste to make a deal, writing a decent script isn't a priority.

Michelle Monahan's character works Internal Affairs, and she's convinced Sin City is full of dirty cops, Foxx's character Vincent among them.

He has made the mistake of stealing drugs from a really bad guy, and his big enemy kidnaps his son. The detective tries to keep that fact from his wife, played by a Gabrielle Union who is wasted in a small part.

The stars sold this one, though, and you'll be hooked until the last 15 minutes. That's when the plot becomes so preposterous that it's tempting to fail the entire film. But they work so hard that it's easy to give them a pass.

"Sleepless" is a masterpiece compared to "Silence," a mind-numbing test of patience that some misguided critics have called one of the best movies of the year. But in fact, it's brutal downer that will leave you depressed for days.

Ben Affleck's "Live by Night" is another movie to avoid, an an epic flop poised to lose a fortune for the studio releasing it.

But on a positive note, "Hidden Figures" and "Patriot's Day" are easy to recommend without hesitation.