Overall, this well-acted and fairly well-made tale of an outgoing mother and her more reserved daughter, who are both looking for happiness somewhere other than in their current situation, is an entertaining and often engaging little picture.
While those who saw "Anywhere But Here" (the Susan Sarandon/Natalie Portman vehicle) will quickly notice striking similarities between the films -- the road trip across the country for a hopefully better life, the mother looking for happiness through the wrong men and a parent/child role reversal regarding the vivacious mother and her less optimistic daughter -- there are enough differences in the way the similarly constructed stories and characters are written, and subsequently develop, that both can be enjoyed on their own level and terms.
Like that film, however, the most notable thing about this one is the incredibly strong and finely nuanced performances by the two lead actresses. While the somewhat similarly developed characters and resultant performances from young Kimberly J. Brown and Natalie Portman probably nullified each other in the minds of those making the Oscar nominations, the performance by Tony winning actress Janet McTeer won out over an equally impressive performance by Sarandon in another pair of characters with notable similarities (although she eventually lost the Best Actress Oscar to Hilary Swank from "Boys Don't Cry").
As the mother/daughter pair, McTeer and Brown are nothing short of outstanding. Immediately exuding a believable familial chemistry and bond, the actresses carry the film and their moments together -- whether in joy, anguish or consolation -- are easily the best the picture has to offer.
Playing the outgoing and sexy mother with a near tragic weakness for shacking up with the wrong type of men, McTeer ("Carrington," "The King is Alive"), who's best known for her stage and British TV work, is absolutely stunning in the role, even when made to perform some goofy behavior such as ironing her dress while still wearing it (albeit in a funny scene). Covering a range of emotions necessary for the part, McTeer is always credible, and easily allows the audience to sympathize with her character.
Her young counterpart, Kimberly J. Brown (TV's "Guiding Light"), easily holds her own as the daughter with a penchant -- based on previous experience -- for dismissing her mother's suitors even before they get the chance to carry that moniker. While that may make her character sound artificially precocious and sassy, Brown makes Ava a real person stuck in that awkward transitional stage from girl to young teen.
Supporting performances, from the likes of Jay O. Sanders ("Music of the Heart") as the only right man for Mary Jo to Laurel Holloman ("The Myth of Fingerprints") as her equally vivacious coworker, are all good. The most notable, however, comes from Gavin O'Connor, who makes his acting debut in a completely believable fashion while also serving as the film's director, co-writer and executive producer.
While some may see that conglomeration of moviemaking roles as suggesting someone aspiring to be the next Orson Welles (who often similarly wore multiple hats on his films), O'Connor reportedly only took on the part when budget constraints prevented him from hiring another actor.
Working from a script he co-wrote with his ex-wife, Angela Shelton -- the story is based on her childhood experience of growing up with a mother somewhat like Mary Jo -- O'Connor creates a credible story that fortunately doesn't feel quite as episodic as "Anywhere But Here" often did.
Although a few moments late in the film precariously teeter on the edge of melodrama when necessary complications have to be inserted -- the writer/director manages to give them enough balance to prevent losing the audience and their vested involvement in the proceedings.
While never flashy or spectacular and clearly not a novel idea, the film succeeds mainly due to the winning performances from, and believable chemistry between McTeer and Brown, as well as enough funny, charming and heartfelt moments to make this an enjoyable and moderately moving picture.
Regarding the disc's technical merits, the visuals look quite good and the audio, while not anything that's going to rattle your eardrums, does deliver what's needed for a film of this genre. The supplemental materials are good, with the always informative running audio commentary by the film's director, as well as the fun and informative screenplay text simultaneously being displayed along with the film (although they're not identical - especially in the dialogue).
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