Wendy and Lucy (2008)

A woman's life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes ... See full summary »

Director:

Kelly Reichardt

Writers:

Jonathan Raymond, Jonathan Raymond (story),

Stars:

Michelle Williams, Lucy, David Koppell

7 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Williams	...	Wendy
Lucy	...	Lucy the Dog
David Koppell	...	Kid by Fire
Max Clement	...	Kid by Fire
Sid Shanley	...	Kid by Fire
Dave Hubner	...	Kid by Fire
Michelle Worthey	...	Sadie
Will Oldham	...	Icky
Wally Dalton	...	Security Guard (as Walter Dalton)
Roger D. Faires	...	Recycler in Wheelchair (as Roger Faires)
Boggs Johnson	...	Recycling Man
Tanya Smith	...	Grocery Checker
Michael Brophy	...	Grocery Store Stocker
John Robinson	...	Andy
John Breen	...	Mr. Hunt

Storyline

A woman's life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is led through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | car | wall clock | brushing teeth | freeway | 

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Taglines:

On the long road, friendship is everything.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 2009 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Train Choir

Filming Locations:

Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$18,218 (USA) (12 December 2008)

Gross:

$856,942 (USA) (24 April 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Field Guide Films, Film Science, Glass Eye Pix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michelle Williams slept in her car for a few nights in order to get into character.

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Quotes

Security Guard: You can't get a address without an address. You can't get a job without a job.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Wolverine/Ghosts of Girlfriends Past/Battle for Terra (2009)

User Reviews

The Oregon Trail to Nowhere

Greetings again from the darkness. Absolutely stunning performance from the beautiful Michelle Williams, who somehow doesn't look beautiful here and is very believable as the on-the-road loner in search of salvation at a cannery in Alaska. What doesn't work is everything else.

I understand the minimalist approach, but this story doesn't differ much from if you asked a junior high student to write a story about running away from home with her dog. Sure the serpentine belt wouldn't get mentioned, but losing the dog, even if only momentarily, would probably be a sub-plot.

Don't misunderstand. It is a very well shot film and realistic to the point of dread, but we are never really provided any reason to care about Wendy or Lucy ... other than basic human caring.

Will Patton adds a nice, but brief, touch as the auto mechanic and Wally Dalton somehow captured my interest more than Wendy. For the full impact, you have to know that Wally Dalton plays a Walgreens security guard who stares at the parking lot for 12 hours a day.

Michelle Williams deserves the kudos for her performance, but I believe the film itself is much overrated.