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28 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
An impressive debut..., 13 June 2003

Author: Joe (pythag3@yahoo.de) from St. Louis, MO, USA

I've visited IMDb frequently in the past and have voted on over 250 films, but the previous comments regarding this film compel me to write my first review. "Blue Car" is, like most films, not without its flaws, but its strengths make it, in my opinion, one of the best American indie films I've seen for quite some time.

"Blue Car" is a movie that lacks clear villains; its characters are imperfect people who sometimes make the wrong decisions. I read a flattering review before seeing the movie, which I later regretted... The review gave away just enough to make me anticipate the film's climax and resolution, a reason why I have decided to remain conspicuously vague here.

The film is about Meg Denning (sp?), a troubled high school student whose poetry impresses her AP English teacher. Meg is still struggling to overcome the emotional abandonment she experienced after her father left. Her sister is likewise depressed and refuses to eat. Her mother is preoccupied with her job and night school. I realize these issues have been dealt with so thoroughly by Disney and Hollywood hacks that they have almost become cliche. Nevertheless, the fact that these situations are relatively commonplace make the story more plausible. The dialogue never degenerates into the pathetic sentimentalism one expects from Spielberg... The dialogue is robust -- the film's characters are dealt with fairly and realistically.

At the suggestion of her English teacher, Meg enters a poetry contest... As Meg's family problems are compounded by subsequent events, she begins to rely increasingly on her AP English teacher for encouragement, emotional support, and self-affirmation...And then, being as vague as possible, complex situations emerge... :o)

Every character in the film has sympathetic qualities. You might not agree with the decisions they make, and some of their actions might even disturb you...But in this age of simpleminded, dualistic rhetoric, when politicians talk about Good and Evil as though life were an episode of "He-Man," "Blue Car" is a refreshing film filled with characters who occupy the grey void lurking between black and white.

The film is not perfect. Certain events occur involving Meg's sister Lily, which are pivotal to the movie. I'm not that fond of how the film deals with Lily's emotional troubles, and facts surrounding the culmination of Lily's troubles are, in my mind, highly questionable. (Sorry. I can't be more specific without ruining the movie. If you see it, you'll probably know what I'm talking about.) These minor flaws are well worth overlooking.

Unfortunately, film as an industry is as white-male dominated as the field of theoretical physics -- perhaps even more so. It is sad indeed that the greatest living female director is probably Leni Riefenstahl, the despicable opportunist whose masterpieces include "Triumph of the Will."

That being the case, Karen Moncrieff's debut comes as a relief. She has proven herself to be a talented, insightful, up-and-coming director whose career will be worth keeping an eye on. Overall, I give the film a 9.

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20 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Finally, a coming of age/ school film that strays from the normal school formula of a John Hughes's film, 26 May 2005

Author: MM86 from Chicago

Blue Car is a dramatic story about a young teenager (Agnes Bruckner) that is over taken by the bad hand she was dealt in life. Trying to juggle school with a harsh family situation, she has become a product of her misfortunes making her that cliché isolated, depressed, quiet girl. With an absent father, disturbed mother, and a suicidal sister, she seems close to the breakdown point. However, a hopeful teacher (David Strathairn) comes a long and opens up a world to place her troubles upon... a world of poetry. The story follows her adventure of dealing with home problems while attempting to be prominent in a large poetry contest. Meg finds herself basking in a deep metaphorical state of catharsis as she seeks to find answers in a poem she writes about her father, titled Blue Car.

Finally, a coming of age/ school film that strays from the normal school formula of a John Hughes's film. The film's dramatic unexpected twists and turns will entice you to be emotionally involved with the characters on a seemingly depressed, yet interesting level. Fantastic film making teams up with even better acting to portray a film that is not only intriguing but important. This films proves that a budget can carry a film so far, and the rest lie with the actors and artistic view of the film makers involved. Director Karen Moncrief carefully films this story, exploiting her points through different film techniques. The story almost reads as a poem itself... the story is slow but moved gently and rings true to all who can relate. Actors Agnes Bruckner, and David Strathairn are two forces not to be reckoned with. The characters portrayed by the actors truly carry this film... making it an emotional journey for all who watch. If you appreciate superb acting and film making that pays more attention to realism and truth, you will enjoy Blue Car.

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Enjoyable indie with an excellent Agnes Bruckner, 18 June 2005

Author: Travis_Bickle01

Small but recommendable film about a young girl, growing up in an unstable environment with a lack of people who care for her and various people abusing her. Agnes Bruckner gives an excellent performance as Meg. The story isn't something refreshing and new, but it doesn't disturbs me. The subject is handled very well and the co-actors are good as well, although Bruckner's performance is by far the best. I also saw her in "Home Room" but her role in that movie is very small.

Excellent directing debut by Karen Moncrieff. She managed to make it a remarkable debut. "Blue Car" is an enjoyable film who's certainly worth watching.

7.5/10

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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Great piece of screen writing., 12 March 2005
Author: gfhaskins714

It's always nice to come across a little gem of a film like this one is. The characters are crafted so well that there is nary a false note in the entire piece. The dynamics between the daughter (Meg) and her mother, Meg and her sister, and Meg and her teacher all ring true; at times painfully so. As things so often occur in real life, this was no neat little package of events and resolutions but characters stumbling through situations making good and bad decisions and coming out on the other side having learned something from their experiences.

Why can't everyone write like this! Kudos to Karen Moncrief for showing such great respect for her audience. I hope you have many more opportunities to add to your writing and directing resume. I've seen tons of films and very few of them are standouts. This is one of them.

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13 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
A true gem from the indie world:Bruckner is flawless, 13 May 2003
Author: george.schmidt (GSchmidt0609@aol.com) from fairview, nj

BLUE CAR (2003) **** David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin, Frances Fisher, A.J. Buckley, Regan Arnold, Sarah Beuhler, Dustin Sterling, Mike Ward. Excellent indie festival hit about a teenage girl (Bruckner in a heartbreakingly raw turn) whose only solace from her crumbling domestic life is in her gift as a poet is mentored by her well-meaning but clearly coercive English teacher (Strathairn in one of his best performances) who goads her into a contest. First time filmmaker Karen Moncrieff delivers a truly audacious debut with a gift for character development and strong narrative as well as a shrewd cast (Colin gives her best turn too as Bruckner's downward spiraling mom and young Arnold as her baby sister is absolutely stunning) adds a lift above the norm in coming-of-age flicks that resonates with pitch-perfect depictions of a young woman coming into her own. One of the year's best films.

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
well acted and sad, 25 April 2004
Author: brianh-9 from Mississippi, United States

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. *****/*****

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14 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Predator, 28 October 2004

Author: jotix100 from New York

It's always gratifying to see an independent film that tackles a thorny subject, knowing well that any of the major studios won't dare to sponsor any director who is original and has a different way to present the story. Such is the case with Karen Moncrieff, a courageous new voice who is a first time director working with her own material.

The idea that school is a safe haven for the innocent, is the subject to this film. Meghan who comes from a recently broken home can't accept the idea of her parents living apart. When in school, she looks up to a male role model, perhaps trying to fill that void in her life. At the beginning of the film Ms. Moncrieff steers us into thinking one way, when in reality she wants to tell us there is another side to the apparently kind man who takes Meghan under his wing.

As we have witnessed by the recent wave of revelations of sexual impropriety in the Catholic Church, there are people that tend to go to jobs where they can prey on unsuspecting young minds, only to satisfy their own sick desires. The film is an eye opener for any impressionable young person into believing these people that befriend them don't have ulterior motives.

Agnes Bruckner, as young Meghan makes an excellent appearance in the movie. Equally effective is David Strathairn, as the teacher. This actor is always a welcome addition to any film. Margaret Colin, as the mother, gives a painful characterization as Diane, who must make ends meet and has her feet on the ground. Frances Fisher, is the jaded teacher's wife who has seen her husband get involved with other young girls before.

Ms. Moncrieff is a talent to watch.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Definitely worth a look, 28 March 2005

Author: Mister_Anderson from King of Prussia, PA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I find myself in an unusual situation. I've read through many of the comments about this movie, both the glowing and the dismal, and discover that to some extent I agree with all of them! The ones who praise the film accurately point out the high points, and the ones who trash the film accurately point out the weaknesses. However, I think both unabashed praise and utter demonification go too far. I'm going to assume if you're reading this, you've probably seen this movie, so beware of spoilers if you have not.

No need to go through the plot as other users on here have done a good job of dishing it out. Here are the POSITIVE points.

(1) Acting. Not a bad performance in this. Especially notable is Meg (we have a tendency to point out stellar youth performances because they often are few and far between due to lack of experience) who is able to speak a hundred words in each subtle expression and her English teacher. Straitharen is an underused force in the industry and he shows his true talents here.

(2) Complex characters. Meg's teacher, her parents, her sister, and others all elicit different emotions from us. Sometimes we think they are supposed to be "good" characters; other times we think they're supposed to be "bad" characters. The film purposely leaves these terms out. Instead, we get an honest picture of how confusing the world can be, especially in the mind of a teenage girl.

Straitharen's character is the most complex. Here we have a man who at first seems to sympathize with his obviously troubled student, latching on to the one interest which gets her away from all the problems: poetry, and he nurses this interest until it becomes something she is proud of. He comforts her like a father she needs when her already fractured family falls apart. For this, we like him. But the director suddenly turns this on its head, when the teacher begins a romantic/sexual relationship with the Meg which she does not assertively resist. "Is this okay?" he asks over and over as he goes further and further as if they are both twelve-year-olds kissing in a closet. Because she didn't ever say "no", are we supposed to sympathize with the teacher? Meg's answer is obviously in the negative, as she criticizes him publicly at the poetry reading in perhaps a more "honest" piece than her "Blue Car".

Some users are asking what the teacher did wrong. Here it is in short: he should have known better. There are two possibilities. One is worse than the other but neither is good. Either the teacher had foul intentions concerning Meg from the beginning of the film and everything that followed was a rouse to get her into bed (this would be despicable without question), or the teacher honestly wanted to help Meg with her poetry and her troubles and during the course of his teaching and consoling, he developed sexual feelings toward her. Even if the latter is the case, the teacher is a acted very wrong. Why? I said it before: he should have known better. He knows all about this girl's troubles. He knows she has no one to turn to. He knows he is her only "ear" and she looks up to him. And what does he do? He shatters her only lifeline by making her life even more complex by adding sex into a relationship. Sex never simplifies things, especially between a teacher and student. He should not be asking her if it is "okay" as he sexually advances on her. The fact that she is in such a fragile state in that she is incapable of answering this is a resounding NO. He was the adult, he was the one with a more stable life, he selfishly let his own feelings (whether they were genuine or not) complicate a girl on the verge of falling apart herself.

The above was assuming the second option was true. However, there is some evidence that the first, more deplorable motivation, is correct. First, there is the fact that he lies to her early on about his novel. When she asked, he could simply have told her that it wasn't a novel. Instead, perplexingly, he lies to her and pretends to read from it. At the time, we don't know this is a lie, but thinking back now, what were his reasons for doing so? Was he trying to cultivate Meg's trust and appeal? Was he trying to make himself what she wanted in her mind in order to cultivate a trusting relationship he could take advantage of later? Also, there's the interesting situation with his wife. She gets depressed when she sees Meg and the teacher offers to walk Meg home. Some of her lines make it seem that the teacher had been inappropriate with girls (students) before. Is this a habitual practice for him? To gain the trust of young girls and use it for his own selfish and deplorable motives? Finally, there is the issue of the deleted scene (which I haven't viewed but heard others talk about) in which after the sex scene the hotel manager tells Meg to get out and that her teacher had only purchased the room for an hour. This shows where the director was heading. The guy obviously had foul plans from the beginning and was too cold to even give her a place to stay for the night. I think the director cut this out because it unquestionably answered the question of the teacher's intentions. From the final cut of the film, though, there's not enough information to decide either way.

I agree with the NEGATIVES that some other users have brought up (too much melodrama for only 90 minutes and not an uplifting moment in the entire film), but I don't think these detract enough to make this only mediocre.

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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
"...touch the inner nerve.", 10 September 2004

Author: CJGlowacki (cjglowacki@yahoo.com) from Not Texas

Ah, the romantic enigma that is the English teacher. Only Hollywood could bring these bookworms into the heroic light usually reserved for legendary leaders and men of action. Look at Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society" and you'll find the prime example of this species. A man who moves throughout his classroom spouting lines of inspiration as important as any presidential address. A voice who encourages his students to embrace their independence and seize the day.

Now meet David Strathairn as Auster in "Blue Car". A man who actually looks and acts like the disheveled English teacher you had in high school. An inspiration only to those too lost and vulnerable to find it elsewhere. Like Meg - an 18 year old girl whose gift for poetry is the only good thing to emerge from an otherwise miserable life.

Played by Agnes Bruckner in a brilliantly understated performance, Meg writes about what she knows. And, unfortunately for her, all she knows is pain. The pain of her parent's divorce and the abandonment she felt when her father drove away for one last time in his blue car. While her classmates laugh at her poem, her teacher pulls her aside and tells her to "dig deeper". At first, it appears he may be trying to further untap her hidden talent, and help her to begin a kind of healing process. But, as he takes her under his wing, his motives seem to grow less noble and more selfish as it appears he is the one in need of healing.

Writer/Director Karen Moncrieff takes on an obvious point of view for the film. In every scene, we can't help but connect with Meg. Everyone seems to want a piece of her. From her mother to a passing acquaintance with a true delinquent, we watch as they befriend her and then cast her aside after she fufills their need. After a while, you just sit back and begin to wonder how much more of this she can take.

It should come as no surprise then that the relationship she nurtures is the one with Auster. In her mind, he can be all things for her - mentor, friend, lover, and most of all, father. It is her changing view of him that anchors the film and, when she finally sees him for what he is, leads her to an ending we can only hope will be better for her.

Rating [on a 5 star system] : 3 1/2 stars

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
How Often Do You Get a Movie Featuring Poetry?, 13 April 2004

Author: wliebold from New York, NY

How often do you see a movie which does a good job of portraying the real complexities of a relationship? In other hands this would have ended up as a crass made-for-TV movie, but in Moncrieff's talented hands the characters have a real chance to be the flawed but still moving personalities they are. A wonderful and different coming-of-age story and a subtle treatment of several relationships, each of which turns out to be more complex than even the characters initially understand.

A great example of a fine film on a very modest budget. My only criticism is that I would have liked to hear more about the evolution of the story from the writer's perspective during the DVD commentary. That criticism has nothing to do with the film itself.

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