"In his tough-minded commitment to both his characters and to their lower-middle-class milieu, the filmmaker recasts his potentially disastrous material into something that feels emotionally honest, if not exactly revelatory." - Andrew Schenker

It is simple and small, telling a human-scale story that involves people living in the ignored corners of American society. Monaghan gives a very good performance as a woman whose life is lived in tenderized increments. The arc of the story may be familiar, but the conviction of the emotions and the care with which they're portrayed has a strength that's more impressive than surprise.

3 great performances along with a beautifully shot and, at times, touching film.

date viewed: 6/24/10 positives: m. monaghan, believable storyline. negatives: underdeveloped character of "runner". recommendation: yup, that's a big 10-4 good buddy!....

Michelle Mohaghan's performance is nuanced and original, but the film is definitely lacking in a lot of areas. One in particular being that barely a single line of the film sounds natural. The dialogue could not sound more stale and scripted. Therefore, it makes it difficult to believe any of the characters and/or their predicaments. The ending, meanwhile, is so easy and unsatisfying.

story, Michelle M, N Fillion

meh

This owes a lot to the tradition of "women's pictures" and polished indie filmmaking. Surprisingly understated, though this might rob the film of most emotional resonance. Monaghan is quite strong, however. She seems very convinced of the flawed, selfish decency of her character and that comes across. The actress makes the viewer forget that she could not possibly be a truck driver: a plus. And yet I am just not terribly certain the film says very much.

In the line of "Paris, Texas", less violent and emotive, yet a great humanistic road movie (if that means anything). Monaghan is brilliant, simple, unpretentious.

Ciekawy, ale przede wszystkim bardzo obrze zagrany, co jest glowna sila filmu.

I expected ham-fisted feminism (which is a message that's annoying even when subtly delivered) but that's not what I got. It handles the gender issues magnificently. Monaghan is really solid, as is Bennett as her estranged son. Their relationship in particular is simply fantastic to watch. I was thoroughly impressed by this, it's a nice piece of work that doesn't necessarily excel in one particular area but manages to overall be extremely solid.

Alright performance by Monaghan in an alright film. Nothing special.