:
Michelle Williams,
John Robinson,
Will Oldham,
more...
:
Kelly Reichardt
see all cast/crew...
: Drama, Independent, Quest, Road Movies
: 80 min.
see additional details...
|
|
Old Joy director Kelly Reichardt crafts this intimate tale of Wendy, an alienated Indiana woman who packs up her car and sets her sights on Alaska, but finds herself stranded in a small Oregon town with no money and only her faithful dog, Lucy, to keep her company. When Wendy realizes that there's nothing keeping her in her home state of Indiana, she makes the decision to relocate to Alaska and seek out work at the local fish cannery. With her four-legged friend Lucy in the passenger seat next to her, Wendy stops off to get some rest in a small Oregon town. The following morning, when Wendy attempts to start her car, the engine fails to respond. But this is only the first in a series of snowballing events, because as Wendy waits for the local garage to open she heads to the supermarket to pick up some dog food for Lucy. Opting to shoplift the puppy chow since she doesn't have much cash to speak of, Wendy subsequently finds herself in the local jail thanks to an overzealous employee. By the time Wendy pays her fine and gets back to the supermarket, Lucy is gone. Unfortunately the dog pound doesn't open until the following morning, and after receiving some help from a kindly local, Wendy gets some particularly bad news about her car. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
|
| Wow, what a performance
by MKaliher
May 28, 2009 - 3:49 PM PDT
|
|
|
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful
|
Michelle Williams is exceptional with her portrayal of Wendy in this extraordinary film. She first caught my attention in Wim Wenders's Land of Plenty, where she stole the show, but some of her work after that led me to believe she'd sold out to the Hollywood garbage machine--which tried to doll her up as some kind of glam queen. Wendy and Lucy fulfilled my hope that this talented young actor would return to the kind of gutsy performance she delivered in Land of Plenty.
She does so in spades in Wendy and Lucy, figuratively slapping the Hollywood pimps in the face. (Right on, Michelle!) Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond deserve great credit for bringing this remarkable and courageous film to the screen, as do actors Wally Dalton and Will Patton for rising to Michelle's high standard. But the simple fact that Williams accepted the role tells me that this is an actor whose career I'll want to track.
Williams owns the camera. Watch the subtlety of her facial expression, the simplicity of her movement. This is clearly an actor who understands cinema. What's it about? A young woman and her dog. This is only one of two films I've rated a ten (the other being Andrea Arnold and Lone Scherfig's Red Road). I don't know who Williams is or where she came from, but she's already one of the best. If you appreciate real American cinema and great motion picture acting, check out Wendy and Lucy. |
|
|
GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.57)
21 Votes
add to list 
|
 |
|
|
 |
| Cannes Film Festival & More - 2008 |
|
|
| Official Selection, Certain Regards... and more. Here is a bit more information on the films screened at the Cannes. I have attempted to list all the films that were considered for an award as well as any special screenings. |
kraigpdx
|
|
|
see all lists |
|
|
Your cart
Cinenaut
© 2006 All Media Guide, LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide®,
a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.