American Cowslip (2009)

Director:

Mark David

Writers:

Ronnie Gene Blevins (writer)
Mark David (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It takes a village to raise an addict...

Plot:

In Blythe, California, a small town in the remote California desert, Ethan Inglebrink is an eccentric...

Cast

Ronnie Gene Blevins	...	Ethan Inglebrink
Diane Ladd	...	Roe
Rip Torn	...	Trevor O'Hart
Cloris Leachman	...	Sandy
Val Kilmer	...	Todd Inglebrink
Peter Falk	...	Father Randolph
Bruce Dern	...	Cliff
Priscilla Barnes	...	Samantha
Hanna Hall	...	Georgia (as Hanna R. Hall)
Blake Clark	...	Grimes
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paula Broussard	...	Overweight Jogger
D.W. Brown	...	Kenneth Englebrink
Art Chudabala	...	Rolo
Erik Fellows	...	Rourke
Marcos A. Ferraez	...	Johnny Eyelash
Cole Fritch	...	Young Ethan
Claudia Godbold	...	Katherine Inglebink
Mel Gorham	...	Kimberly
Katie Kocis	...	Nurse
Nina Kruse	...	Mrs. Kramer (voice)
Trevor Lissauer	...	Jim Bob
Doc McFadzen	...	The Sombrero Man
Marty Papazian	...	Jay
Josh Perry	...	Billy
Scott Allen Perry	...	Rex
Alex Petrovitch	...	Slick
Luciano Rauso	...	Joey
Benjamin Roche	...	Lucky
Lin Shaye	...	Lou Anne
Douglas Spain	...	Jorge
BooBoo Stewart	...	Cary
Maggie Wagner	...	Dolores Inglebrink

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Buffalo Speedway Film Company

Trivia:

The film was conceived by Blevins and David in 2003.

Quotes:

Ethan Inglebrink: You know Billy?
Georgia: You mean the special kid?
Ethan Inglebrink: Yeah. He is special... He's also retarded!
Georgia: I think the proper term is "mentally challenged".
Ethan Inglebrink: You're telling me he's mentally challenged and retarded?... Tough brake, huh?

Soundtrack:

In the Same Light

A great moralistic tale

Just as it's name implies, this movie grew on me. It certainly left me with a feeling to see it again to make sure I had connected all the metaphoric dots creatively laid out for me.

The film weaves and knots a moral tale implying that we are all not only enablers but addicts to something, whether it be drugs, past glory, love, control or freedom. The characters' cracked facades only temporarily protect them from the dangers outside their front door and inside themselves. While leaning on each other, none of the characters ever obtain the help they help they need to "kick the habit" and it is their eventual undoing. It is a sad tale in which everyone looses something, unable to break out of the sweet sickness enabling their self-victimization.

While slow and repetitive at times, the characterizations are humanely broad enough that we see a little of ourselves in each one. The lighting of the film in golden and sunny overtones, the over-the-top silly humor at times, the fair-like set sweetens the bitter lesson this moralistic tale pours for us to swallow. Just as there is no such thing as an American Cowslip, there is no such thing as just an addict out of control.