Tiger Eyes (2012)

After Davey's father is killed in a hold-up, she and her mother and younger brother visit relatives in New Mexico. Here Davey is befriended by a young man who helps her find the strength to carry on and conquer her fears.

Director:

Lawrence Blume

Writers:

Judy Blume (novel), Lawrence Blume (screenplay)

Stars:

Willa Holland, Amy Jo Johnson, Tatanka Means

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Willa Holland	...	Davey
Amy Jo Johnson	...	Gwen Wexler
Tatanka Means	...	Wolf - Martin Ortiz
Elise Eberle	...	Jane Albertson
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Bitsy Kronick
Lucien Dale	...	Jason Wexler
Forrest Fyre	...	Walter Kronick
Russell Means	...	Willie Ortiz
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Adakai	...	Tribal Elder
Valerie Adams	...	Pueblo Woman 1
Marya Beauvais	...	Ms. Dersh
Josh Berry	...	Mr. Vanderhoot
Frank Bond	...	Ned Grodzinski
Tina Borek	...	Woman in Plaza
Levi Boultinghouse	...	Ted

Storyline

Davey has never felt so alone in her life. Her father is dead -- shot in a holdup at his store -- and now her mother is taking 17 year old Davey and her little brother to New Mexico to stay with relatives while she tries to recover. Climbing in the Los Alamos canyon, Davey meets the mysterious Wolf, the only person who seems to understand the rage and fear Davey feels. Slowly, with Wolf's help, Davey realizes that she must get on with her life. A complicated story of deep human drama. Based on the classic novel,"Tiger Eyes," by Judy Blume.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material including a violent incident, and some teen drinking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Puye Pueblo, Espinola, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,874 (USA) (7 June 2013)

Gross:

$21,717 (USA) (14 June 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tashmoo Productions, Amber Entertainment, Belladonna Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite Judy Blume's forty years of writing bestsellers for children and young adults, Tiger Eyes is the first theater-release motion picture to be made out of any of her books. (There have been television productions made of Forever, the "Fudge" books, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great.)

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Connections

Referenced in Chelsea Lately: Episode #7.87 (2013)

User Reviews

A slice of life • 7/10

This rather genteel independent film by Lawrence Blume, held no real surprises for the viewer, but rather, allowed us to watch at an unrushed pace as the tale unfolds. It's based on the novel Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, mother of the aforementioned director. Having never read the novel, I'm in no position to judge how closely it compares although, now that I have seen the movie, I'm more inclined to do so now. The subject of 'loss' has been covered in so many movies that expectations have been raised in what we find acceptable, by way of the telling of the story and its content, but this had the very interesting Los Alamos and the atomic bombs as a backdrop.

Davey Wexler (Willa Holland) has just lost her father to a hold-up gone bad, and now must live with her grieving mother (Amy Jo Johnson) and kid brother at her aunts house. Her aunt Bitsy (Cynthia Stevenson) and uncle Walter (Forrest Fyre) work locally and try to get the grieving family involved in their lives, but they are still in denial and coping as best they can. Davey's mother Gwen is on medication to help her deal with her emotions, and is now unable to help Davey talk through her feelings. Davey starts school and becomes friends with Jane (Elise Eberle), but Jane has herself a drinking problem thanks to pressure from home. Davey also meets a local guy, who is a few years older than she, whilst investigating the local desert features and they become quite close. The age difference may have been to show that Davey was seeking a father figure and Wolf happened by.

I remember when Wolf (Tatanka Means) and Tiger (his name for Davey) meet I was so sure I had it all figured out, but there was never any mention of his being a Native American by her aunt, and so spoiled my racism theory! As previously mentioned, originality was never this films goal, rather it was an examination of Davey's grief and acceptance of fate, but that is of course an oversimplification, because the movie touched on several worthy topics but none of them earth shattering. Even so, it was nice look at life through the eyes of a nineteen year old, who feels abandoned but finally gains clarity thanks to her recent life experience in Los Alamos and of course, J Robert Oppenheimer's bombs.

Recommended

Score: 7/10

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