topline, this is a movie that reminds you that good storytelling and good screen writing can still exist outside the all too cynical Hollywood system.
other comments on this movie describe plot, and failings, more than I have time to write, but if you want to see something that will refresh your view of the resilience of the human spirit and make you smile, you should watch this movie.
nb - you don't have to live in a small town to appreciate the context, but it certainly helps. the movie captures the sense of community that is unique to small towns where everyone knows everyone else's business. I was impressed by how the writer links an ensemble of characters through a deft delineation of complex, rich relationships established in quick strokes of understood history.
in writing terms, the lack of exposition is great, and refreshing for its avoidance of painting characters in black and white only. and for anyone who has left their small-town life for the bright lights of the big city, it is a reminder of some of the best parts of what we left behind.
other comments on this movie describe plot, and failings, more than I have time to write, but if you want to see something that will refresh your view of the resilience of the human spirit and make you smile, you should watch this movie.
nb - you don't have to live in a small town to appreciate the context, but it certainly helps. the movie captures the sense of community that is unique to small towns where everyone knows everyone else's business. I was impressed by how the writer links an ensemble of characters through a deft delineation of complex, rich relationships established in quick strokes of understood history.
in writing terms, the lack of exposition is great, and refreshing for its avoidance of painting characters in black and white only. and for anyone who has left their small-town life for the bright lights of the big city, it is a reminder of some of the best parts of what we left behind.