Pluskylang Great Film overall

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

gamay9 There were several reasons why I found this film interesting and amusing: A. I could have been Al Fountain. How many times have I been told 'You can't see the forest for the trees?' B. Lisa Blount didn't look much different than she did in 'An Officer and a Gentleman' but Catherine Keener looked 'cute' and much younger than she did in 2000, not many years after 'Box of Moonlight' was released. I wish they had all skinny-dipped, but Catherine Keener '...won't do that..' (a line from a Meat Loaf song).C. Sam Rockwell was superb; Turturro played the straight man to a 'T.' This film must have held my interest because it seemed to be a 'short.' Any time a film goes by too quickly, in my opinion, it has to be a winner. Do you feel the same way?

bandw It's interesting how different people can look at the same thing and come away with such diverse reactions. I decided to watch this based on the many positive comments I had read. Unfortunately I cannot pitch my tent in that camp, since this movie never engaged me.John Turturro plays Al Fountain, an uptight electrical engineer who is away from home and in charge of a construction crew somewhere in the southeast US. When Al catches his crew having some fun fifteen minutes before knocking off for the day, he instructs them to get back to work. The sight of Tutturro in a hard hat being taken seriously by a bunch of burly construction workers should have alerted me that this movie was going to be part fantasy, and that turned out to be the case. The first part of the movie is spent in showing us what a nerd Al is. A closet full of neatly hung white shirts and dark pants, nightly calls home at precisely 9:00 PM, an inability to get along with ordinary people, stilted phone conversations with his wife and son, and so forth. Obviously Al needs to be shown how to loosen up a bit and appreciate the wondrous variety of experience, and sure enough Al meets just the right person to introduce him to more abundant living, The Kid. The Kid (Sam Rockwell), in buckskins, is a rifle-toting young lad wearing a coonskin hat who deals in selling such items as plastic deer and garden gnomes. Through a sequence of unlikely events Al winds up staying at The Kid's house--a facing wall opening onto an open-air courtyard that is lighted like it is decorated for a large Christmas party. The Kid frequently comments that he is off the grid, so how he powered his lights and television puzzled me. There are elements of pure fantasy, such as Al's seeing things in reverse like water being poured into a glass or a kid riding a bicycle. Why these irrelevant scenes were in there escaped me. In the director's commentary he remarks that these scenes were filmed by running the sequences backward. Who would have imagined that? I realize that questioning the believability of anything here is not to accept what I perceive is meant to be quirky whimsy. But I could not accept the absurdities presented.And what are the rewards of living a more carefree life? Such things as shooting out expensive window glass, jumping into lakes naked, cheating on your wife, shooting holes in tubs of paint, getting beat up while others stand around watching helplessly, eating crushed Oreo cookies and milk for breakfast, and so forth. Is an argument being made here for the value of being a nerd, and staying a nerd?

dantown1 I avoided this movie at the time because it featured John Turturro. Boy was I wrong. This movie is a fine well-crafted story about-well nothing much. Just saving a man's life from utter meaningless. John Turturro plays an annoying executive who decides to lie to his wife-take a road trip-and perhaps find the meaning of life amongst a bunch of-well, "white trash". You could call it a Hero's Journey if you'all like. As soon as The Kid(Sam Rockwell) shows up, in his grimy buckskin outfit- this movie takes off. Screenwriters have a name for this: the inciting incident-whatever. Asking Sam Rockwell to play a hippie-backwoods kid with little future is like asking pigs to search for acorns. It just works. The writing and acting are just so relaxed and yet vital. This movie breathes. It flows. It floats-like Floatie Dupre(Catherine Keener) gently downstream-in the river of life.It is lazy. It just makes you grin. Ultimately, this is the story of one man, The Kid, reaching out to another man, Al Fountain(Turturro), in the confusing world we inhabit. This is a light movie-or rather a movie filled with light. This is one of Turturro's, and Rockwell's finest movies. Catherine Keener glows as a somewhat-dejected faerie-queen. This is a Hero's Journey, into the heart of not Southern darkness, but Southern kindness and Southern joy.A classic film-If you ask me.

beachboys21 Finally a movie that does not make the main character a bad person for cheating on his wife. Actually his time of irresponsible and careless behaviour improves his relationship greatly!Furthermore it was a joy to watch john turturro's acting.Concerning the story at first I was very suspicious of The Kid, I thought he was planning to rob Al or at least steal his car. I did not expect his intentions to be honest but that was a nice surprise to me.---------------------------------------------------------------------Finally a movie that does not make the main character a bad person for cheating on his wife. Actually his time of irresponsible and careless behaviour improves his relationship greatly!Furthermore it was a joy to watch john turturro's acting.Concerning the story at first I was very suspicious of The Kid, I thought he was planning to rob Al or at least steal his car. I did not expect his intentions to be honest but that was a nice surprise to me.