Blue Car (2002)

A troubled young woman is encouraged by a teacher to enter a poetry contest.

Director:

Karen Moncrieff

Writer:

Karen Moncrieff

Stars:

David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Strathairn	...	Auster
Agnes Bruckner	...	Megan Denning (Meg)
Margaret Colin	...	Diane
Frances Fisher	...	Delia
A.J. Buckley	...	Pat
Regan Arnold	...	Lily
Sarah Buehler	...	Georgia
Dustin Sterling	...	Rob
Michael Joseph Thomas Ward	...	Dad (as Mike Ward)
Wayne Armstrong	...	Don
Aftab Pureval	...	Boy in Class
Wendy Lardin	...	Georgia's Mom
Jenn O'nofrio	...	Blonde Girl
Michael Raysses	...	Mr. Kastran
Amy Benedict	...	Diner Waitress

Storyline

Gifted 18-year-old Meg has been abandoned by her father and neglected by her hardworking mother. Left to care for her emotionally disturbed younger sister, her world begins to unravel. She finds an outlet in writing poetry and support from her English teacher, Mr. Auster. But what started out as a mentoring relationship begins to get a bit more complex.

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Plot Keywords:

poetry | contest | shoplifting | bicycle | blackboard | 

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Taglines:

Ready or not... the future comes just the same.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A kék autó

Filming Locations:

Colonel White High School - 501 Niagara Avenue, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$30,087 (USA) (2 May 2003)

Gross:

$464,126 (USA) (18 July 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peer Oppenheimer Production Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 88 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was edited on an Apple Macintosh Computer with "Final Cut Pro" and "Cinema Tools" software.

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Goofs

The application form that Meg fills out for the poetry contest says her poem is entitled "Blue Car", although at that point she has not yet written the poem or given it a title.

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Quotes

[after looking over her poem]
Auster: Okay... you tell me.
Meg: I don't know.
Auster: Why not? Are you afraid I'm going to tell you your work stinks?
Meg: Does it?
Auster: What do you think?
Meg: Probably. I don't know.
Auster: Come back when you do.
[rises, starts to leave]
Meg: It doesn't stink. There's a line that I like.
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Fly"
Written and Performed by Lori Carson, Layng Martine III and Jane Scarpantoni
Feels Good for a Minute Music/Corporal Blossom Music (BMI)
(c) 2001

User Reviews

well acted and sad

There's a moment in this film where Meg(Agnes Buckner)is scribbling a poem on a napkin in a diner in Florida. This waitress orders her a breakfast out of kindess knowing this girl didn't have money. I point this scene out because it comes nearly at the end of the film and is possibly the only moment that is a true act of kindness where no one is using someone and poor Meg isn't being used. Meg is an unfortunate deer caught in a bear trap. She never wanted the hardships that occur to her but somehow trolleys into difficult situations out of misdirection. The character of the utmost cruelity in this film is a supposed trustworthy poetry teacher named Auster(criminally overlooked David Strathairn whose most noteworthy performance was as the always drunkened abusive husband of Kathy Bates in "Dolores Claiborne"). He spins Meg into his web with what appears to be sweetness and a great hear for her problems. Meg has a troubled sister named Lily(Regan Arnold)and overworked divorcee mother Diane(Margaret Colin,Tom Selleck's girlfriend in "Three Men and a Baby"). Meg thinks Auster is a man for whom she can go to. He sees vulnerabilty and pretends to care when really he wants her as a type of conquest. Many use poor Meg along the way and she suffers many heartbreaks. She has this goal to enter into a poetry contest in Florida. This goal was realized when Auster tells her she can win in his slick way to get her in the sack. This is a great film about a chance to just have satisfaction with one thing. Meg is a very realistic character and one that is perfectly acted by Buckner. Buckner displays a young woman not sure on herself and very self deprecating. She possesses a kindness, but is badly misguided and makes bad decisions. Still, Meg is a true character and her situations are very realistic and in ways mirror another film about teen growing pains called "Thirteen". The film is not a happy one. Most of the characters are miserable, but the film is very true to life. *****/*****