Blue Car (2002) User Reviews

"...touch the inner nerve."

[CJGlowacki · 7/10 · 10 September 2004]

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

Enjoyable indie with an excellent Agnes Bruckner

[Travis_Bickle01 · 7/10 · 18 June 2005]

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

Definitely worth a look

[Mister_Anderson · 8/10 · 28 March 2005]

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.

Great piece of screen writing.

[gfhaskins714 · 12 March 2005]

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.

Digs deep into the guts of a troubled teenager

[rooprect · 7/10 · 18 March 2013]

After seeing Agnes Bruckner's memorable performance in "Rick" (a modern re-imagining of the opera "Rigoletto"), I had to see what else she has starred in. Even better was her performance in this film "Blue Car", a coming-of-age film that boldly crosses boundaries that mainstream Hollywood wouldn't dare touch.

I'm not just talking about the scandalous older guy & young girl theme which has been done before ("American Beauty", "Lolita", and almost every Woody Allen movie ever made), but in particular I'm referring to disturbing issues teenagers and kids face today: self-harm, self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts. Don't worry, there's nothing explicit. But the fact that these issues are even presented sets this movie on a different level.

Other rare & unheard-of films that touch on these modern teen problems are "Archie's Final Project" (about a high school kid who decides to videotape his last days before killing himself), "Angela" (about 2 young sisters who create a fantasy world of angels & demons to cope with their real life traumas), and the very dark & very creepy "Tideland" about a young girl who creates a nightmarish world around her to try to protect her corroding innocence.. "Blue Car" fits right in there, probably the tamest of the bunch but not without its own hard-hitting moments. I think it would be appreciated by most mid-to-late teenagers whose minds are asking deep questions about life. I'm way past that age, but I still found it compelling and impressive all around. An excellent starring debut by Agnes Bruckner as well as directorial debut from Karen Moncrieff.

Self-Absorbed Mother Plus Weak Dad Equals Dysfunctional Family

[romanorum1 · 6/10 · 16 January 2013]

Bright and attractive but vulnerable and sad-eyed, Megan Denning lives in a deplorable situation in Ohio. Her single mother Diane works full-time and attends evening school. She is so engrossed with herself that she not only lends no support to Megan, but also expects her daughter to help her. Megan's emotionally disturbed little sister Lily mutilates herself and eats very little, if anything. Divorced dad is out of contact and remains behind in his sixty dollars per week support payments.

Still worse yet, Megan has not a single adult person to fall back on. It does appear that she catches a break when Mr. Auster, her high school English teacher, begins to mentor her, and encourages her talent in poetry writing, her emotional outlet. Megan had impressed Auster with her poem, "The Blue Car," about the time her father moved out and left in his … blue car. Auster asserts that Megan can do even better, and perhaps enter the state contest where he is one of the judges. After that there is the national poetry competition in Florida. At the beginning Auster keeps his distance, and uses his authorial demeanor to his own good advantage. He gives Megan an A+ for a poem, and writes "Be brave," a possible double entendre. Megan finds a chocolate car wrapped in blue with her belongings, a present from the teacher. Auster gives his student a ride home in his car, and then shares his lunch more than once. Gradually closing in, like a lion on an antelope, Auster is available for emotional support when a tragedy strikes the Denning family. He hugs Megan deeply. The flawed Auster is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Megan is aloof to the danger. Along the way she makes several wrong decisions without apparent regret. Will she be able to extricate herself in the end?

This is a serious and depressing story, not a romance. Supporting the movie is the good acting while the characters are more than one-dimensional.

Finally, a coming of age/ school film that strays from the normal school formula of a John Hughes's film

[MM86 · 9/10 · 26 May 2005]

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.

Decent character study

[bandw · 7/10 · 16 February 2006]

There are fine performances in this movie offering us a decent character study. The story revolves around a sensitive young girl, Meg, living in a highly dysfunctional family and the pain she experiences. She turns to an apparently sympathetic English teacher for some stability and encouragement.

Every character in the movie comes with great flaws, but in the end all the adults wind up looking pathetically selfish, commanding our disrespect, while the young woman has the pure heart and is forced to be confronted with such awful people. This is one more movie with the theme of adults bad, teenagers good.

The teacher serves as more of a psychiatrist than a teacher, at least that is his ruse. The mother seems to be totally oblivious as to what is going on with her children, to the extent that her younger daughter winds up dead due to her negligence. The brother of a friend of Meg's blows in for a few scenes, only to lie, steal everything in sight, and jump parole.

The movie is uncomfortable to watch as you are drawn into a web of despair. See if you believe the slightly upbeat ending.

An impressive debut...

[dudley_do_wrong · 9/10 · 13 June 2003]

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.

The untrustworthiness of men

[grahamclarke · 6/10 · 6 June 2005]

"Blue Car" has been almost unanimously well received by reviewers. Despite its obvious attributes, I ultimately found it somewhat unsatisfying.

Karen Moncrieff displays real talent as far as directing goes. Under her direction David Straithairn and Agnes Bruckner deliver first rate performances. The film falters not due to the actors or the director but rather to Moncrieff's writing abilities.

While the female characters are fully fleshed out with depth and perception the male roles are underdeveloped and all veer heavily towards portraying men as untrustworthy and devious. The minor roles (as far as screen time goes) of the father, the mother's friend, and the Meg's friend's brother all underlie the untrustworthiness of the male sex. The real problem of the movie however is the central role of Auster, who ultimately reiterates Moncrieff's view of the male sex.

I would have less problem with this viewpoint had it been dealt with in a subtle and intelligent manner. Auster's transformation is far too sudden implying an inherent sinister perversion rather than a conflicted sensitive soul. The letdown in his credibility as a character is like a whodunit which has not been fair in building up to its solution. The film is severely weakened by all this, despite Straithairn's best efforts.

Still there is much to be gained from "Blue Car" in particular Agnes Bruckner's performance which places her up there with the best young screen actresses of her generation.

Coming of Age in High School.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 15 February 2010]

Agnes Bruckner is a high-school senior from what is now commonly called a dysfunctional family. Her father has left the family. Her mother, Margaret Colin, is holding down a twelve-hour job and going to school at night. And Agnes must care for her little sister, Regan Arnold, who seems to have childhood schizophrenia. Her friends all have unethical quirks and Bruckner herself is given to shoplifting.

Her only outlet seems to be poetry and she comes up with an impressive one she calls "Blue Car." This gets the attention of her teacher in the Advanced Placement class, David Strathairn, and he encourages her to enter a poetry contest to be held in Tampa. She's accepted as a contestant.

Her home life being as rotten as it is, Bruckner invests a good deal of herself in the relationship with her teacher. He's reserved, friendly but cool at the same time, a perfect gentleman who may go places some day because, as he tells her, he's writing a novel. He keeps the manuscript in a briefcase and won't allow anyone to read it.

Bruckner must sneak away to the contest in Tampa because her mother, preoccupied with her own problems and trying to keep the family on a tight budget, has put the kibosh on the trip.

In Tampa, Bruckner runs into Strathairn and his family -- a wife and two kids. When the two are alone, Strathairn gives her a kiss and asks if it's alright. Bruckner assents, the two wind up in bed, and Strathairn deflowers her, somewhat to her discomfort.

SPOILER.

Afterward, Bruckner begins poking through Strathairn's briefcase, flips through the manuscript of the novel, and finds all the pages blank, except for a few which have stick-man drawings in the margins. A poem that Strathairn has claimed as his own turns out to have been written by Rilke.

When her turn comes to read her poem before a vast audience, including Strathairn and his family, she lets him have it. She's discarded "Blue Car" and substituted another that is a raw, bleeding attack on the phony Strathairn.

I didn't really care for the film that much, though I applaud its quiet intensity. It's familiar territory, the youth disillusioned by a mentor. We've seen it in, oh, "The Flamingo Kid," "Hearts of the West," and others. But at least this is from the point of view of a young girl who finds respite from real life in poetry. If I have to watch another movie about teen-aged boys trying to make money and get laid, I think I'll vomit.

Strathairn is fine as the distant teacher trying to keep his hormones in check, and Margaret Colin, as always, is good in the role of the distraught mother. Even the little sister gives a believable performance, though she's only about six. Bruckner, on the other hand, is bulkily pretty but wears a hangdog expression throughout, as if playing an instrument on which there was only one note.

I don't know if the writer/director, Karen Moncrieff, intended it or whether it stems from some brutalization of my own emotional apparatus but I felt considerable sympathy for both Margaret Colin's super-tense Mom and David Strathairn's shamed, phony novelist. Imagine the teacher's character. So lacking in self esteem that he must invent an alter identity for himself -- the promising novelist -- but feeling so low about the trick that he doesn't brag about it, just let's it fall casually and infrequently into conversations. What a tightrope the guy is walking, like a gay guy not out of the closet. The merest HINT in Bruckner's final poem, the slightest pin prick letting him know that she's uncovered his secret, would have brought him down. Instead, she hits him over the head with a crowbar.

Strathairn has learned something, namely that you can only carry on a pretense for so long and that eventually your fraud, however modest, is uncovered -- especially by some nosy young girl who goes poking around in your personal effects. But what has Bruckner learned? That you can't trust anyone but yourself? I don't know if that moral calculus all works out.

How Often Do You Get a Movie Featuring Poetry?

[wliebold · 9/10 · 13 April 2004]

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.

Been there done that, on film...all decent, but nothing lifts it higher

[secondtake · 6/10 · 1 February 2015]

Blue Car (2002)

The story of a teacher (male) having a tryst with a student (female) has been done so many times it's hard to know how this can make it fresh. And as it begins, with the really first rate David Strathairn as the teacher, you begin to believe it will be special. The girl, a talented high school student (Agnes Bruckner), has a troubled home and finds comfort in the teacher's kindness (and his encouragement for her poetry). And so it goes.

The few complications to this plot are forced—a troubled sister and her sweetness that goes very bad, and a wife whose own mental issues are thinly portrayed—and so we are left mostly with the simple basics. Girl, man, crossed signals, and then…well, you have to watch to see.

Director and writer Karen Moncrieff does a creditable job here. Not sure I've used that word before, and it doesn't speak well of the big picture. Bottom line? There are many better movies about this kind of thing. And yet, it's an enjoyable telling of the story, with Strathairn really solid and likable in a somewhat limited kind of character.

Oh, and the poetry? Not bad!

Warning: I just might give everything away, which would be just as well as

[tcarnam · 3/10 · 9 May 2003]

this movie was horrible. Or *is* horrible, I should say, as I'm sure it is still playing at a theatre near you.

Basically--and yes I need a new paragraph for this--I simply can't stand it when a movie is not a movie, but instead a stock car race of plot vehicles vrooming around a track, racing to get to the great, meaningful, dramatic, thematic finish. To wit: the mother of the poetess, whom we see only rarely in the first thirty-five minutes, comes off as a mostly absent entity whose only purpose is to arrive home waaay late every night and give our long-suffering hero a hard time for not taking proper care of her little sister (read: yet another obstacle for our poet hero to overcome on her way to heartfelt expository writing). Vroom. And as for that little sister, let me tell you what *she* does: she looks forlorn, cuts herself, starves herself, looks forlorn and hungry, acts like an angel on the altar in the middle of church, passes out during said performance, dot dot dot, and finally jumps out her psych ward window to her death (and if you think I'm being callous then that's because you didn't see the film's eleven second treatment of her death). Vroom, as we race on towards the making of a real teen poet.

And then the teacher.... Okay, at one point he puts a gold star on her forehead. Which is all I'll say, except for: vroom goes the confusing adult world car.

And the poetry? And the excerpts from the brave teacher's leather bound novel? Hai ram--if you appreciate literature or poetry, if you have any respect for the craft of writing, then you will most likely wince at the trickling treacle that is served to us as (presumably) exemplary writing.

Is it too much to ask for real characters? Too much to ask for characters that do more than emotively mope, but tell us *why* they are so sullen? Is it really so bothersome to spend the extra fifty hours writing good dialogue, to actually reach down within yourself--as this movie, by the way, pedantically tells us to do--to come up with real feelings and real people and not just their sit-com approximations? Because please, all I'm asking for are two true hours, a darkened interstice of theatrical time when I don't for once have to slap my knee with a rolled up paper, clap my palm to my forehead in an exclamatory wince because I've just been suckered again.

A true gem from the indie world:Bruckner is flawless

[george.schmidt · 13 May 2003]

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.

Blue Movie

[meeza · 6/10 · 18 June 2004]

(Sing along to the 50's classic `Blue Moon')

Blue Caaaaar It is a film of a teacher Who gets it on with his student Even though he know its not too prudent

Blue Caaaar Its simplistic in its tone But predictable what is shown

Blue Ccaaaar Agnes Bruckner plays the student Who know that she shouldn't David Strathairn plays the teacher Who has sinned and must confess to his preacher

Blue Caaaar Is not an indie classic by far But Ms. Bruckner shows the making of a star

Blue Caaar I have run out of verses So this song must end before I insert curses

(end of song)

*** Average

Step on the Brakes

[jimbeaux101 · 7/10 · 30 April 2004]

Watching Blue Car is like being in the middle of one of those scary dreams in which you're treading around corners slowly, knowing that danger is somewhere and that it's gonna get you soon, you just don't know when. You can't stop watching, even though you know the ending, because it's so damn pretty and it makes for that pins-and-needles feeling that reminds you you're alive.

I wonder if the producers provided psychiatric assistance to the cast on an ongoing basis. This has to be one of those films that require the actors to carry their characters home with them.

Great performances, sad movie, it hurts to watch it. Still, I'm glad I did.

Predator

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 28 October 2004]

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.

decent but slow moving at times......

[PIST-OFF · 6/10 · 9 May 2005]

i am mostly commenting more on the commentary track of this movie than on the movie itself, which was fair but could have used more exploration of why the teacher was doing what he was doing. otherwise the movie was fine, but not great. it's plodding pace paid attention (maybe too much) to detail and nuance. it's probably better to see it with no foreknowledge of what it is about.

the commentary track however is an exercise in wasted opportunity. instead of hearing the why about the film or what any of it should mean on the director's subjective level the movie commentary track is an excursion into how the movie is made and a long string of compliments for those who worked on the film. I know that the director liked working with the people and even if they didn't would they use the commentary track to air out their hatred. "yeah that's the third directing assistant, they were a real a-hole!" I grow tired of commentary tracks that follow this formula because it's so bland you have to wonder why a commentary track is put together in the first place. Can't this person find anything interesting to say about their own movie? Not even when the studio is probably paying them to do it?? The movie was a six out of ten don't even bother with the yawn inducing commentary track.

Given its resources, an excellent film

[=G= · 8/10 · 15 October 2003]

"Blue Car" looks long and hard at a middle class teen female poetry student (Bruckner) who struggles with unhappy circumstances, the vicissitudes of her age, and discovers the yin-yang of human nature too often leans toward the negative. The young protag, well represented by Bruckner, finds herself with inadequate coping skills as she discovers the limits of dependability of the only person on whom she can depend - herself. A very substantial drama given it's indie-ness, writer/director Moncrieff conjures convincing performances and delivers some important subliminal messages about the pitfalls and foibles of life. Good stuff for what it is. Recommended for more mature realists. (B+)

Not exactly a feel-good movie

[Xapora · 7/10 · 5 March 2004]

I hired this movie expecting a quirky, fun, romantic comedy. Nuh! (The cover is deceptive). That's not to say I didn't enjoy it immensely, it just leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth. Agnes Bruckner is fantastic as the disenchanted, troubled teenage kleptomaniac-cum-poet struggling to find meaning in her life. This sense of meaning and purpose comes in the form of her English teacher, Mr Auster, who helps forge her love of poetry with encouragement on a personal and professional level. There are so many sad, depressing, uncomfortable moments in this movie yet it is acted so well and is so thought-provoking you can forgive it's few foibles. On the DVD, Karen Moncrieff gives a fascinating feature commentary that's well worth listening too, especially for aspiring film makers. Highly recommended, but be warned, if you're feeling down or depressed - avoid at all costs! Watch it when in a reflective mood or you are looking for inspiration if you are a writer/poet/film buff etc. 6.5 out of 10.

A coming of age story lacking structure

[skamito · 1/10 · 29 January 2002]

After have just seen Blue Car at a free screening, I would recommend that no one pay to see it. The story is a convuluted coming of age pseudo-drama with a plot lacking direction. A high school senior, Meg, discovers her gift for poetry through her AP English teacher she has a crush on. She is deeply tormented by her dad's absence, as is her little sister, who cuts her feet and puts salt in the wounds. Her mother is never home and Meg turns to the open arms of the English teacher, who encourages her to enter a poetry contest. The plot goes miserably haywire as she gains success with poetry but her sister falls into insanity and Meg turns to theft in order to get to the contest in Florida. I won't spoil it; it would be too miserable to try to explain all the misguided scenes and "action" anyway. I will say the acting is decent and the idea has potential, but the goal of going to Florida to read poetry is not important enough to justify Meg's actions. The characters are underdeveloped and not believable. A flop.

Horrifying subject manner is extremely well handled

[rosscinema · 8/10 · 14 June 2004]

The subject manner of this film might make some potential viewers shy away but I can honestly say that this not only isn't exploitative but is handled in a delicate manner and may be the best film ever about an older man laying a trap for a young girl. Story is about Meg (Agnes Bruckner) a teenage girl from a broken family and living with her strict and neglectful mother Diane (Margaret Colin) and younger sister Lily (Regan Arnold) and Meg loves to write poems. Her English teacher Mr. Auster (David Strathairn) compliments her on her poem "Blue Car" and tells her to enter the poetry contest that will be held in Florida. Lily is emotionally unstable and lands in the hospital and Meg discovers that she can talk honestly with her teacher and they develop a strong relationship that makes both of them uncomfortable.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Lily dies in the hospital and this leads to a very bad argument between Meg and her mother and Meg ends up leaving the house and living with a friend. Meg scrounges up enough money to take a bus to Florida for the poetry contest and to be near Mr. Auster and when things seem to be getting more intimate Meg learns the horrible truth about him and that everything he has been saying and doing was just a lie including his co-called novel that he carries around with him.

This film is written and directed by Karen Moncrieff who is making her feature film debut and the manner in which she tells this story is so well handled that you can make a case that this should be mandatory viewing for parents. Moncrieff shows good patience in allowing the story to slowly unfold and each character is realistically drawn out so that we can understand Meg's loneliness and attraction to her teacher. The performances are exceptional and Strathairn conveys both creepiness and complexity in his role and when the film ends you cannot help but think back to how his character carefully laid his trap. As good has Strathairn is the film is also a showcase for young Bruckner who shows remarkable poise and her performance is pivotal to this film. She really doesn't have any out loud emotional scenes in the film but instead the power of her performance comes from her quietness and vulnerability. Bruckner is an extremely talented young actress and it will be exciting to watch her career blossom. Moncrieff in her own patient style has made a powerful film about a disturbing subject and she along with the actors deserve all the praise that's handed to them.

You could do far worse than this little indie...

[MrGKB · 6/10 · 25 November 2009]

...despite its somewhat melodramatic plot line, far, far worse indeed. Writer/director Karen "The Dead Girl" Moncrieff's tyro effort benefits immensely from the impressive acting chops of (then) newcomer Agnes "Blood and Chocolate" Bruckner and the already well developed talents of David "Good Night, and Good Luck" Strathairn. The film's central theme of naive youth overcoming adversity is nothing new, nor are the particulars of broken adults taking advantage of vulnerable, trusting innocence, but the relative delicacy with which Moncrieff handles all the soapy goings-on puts "Blue Car" miles ahead of like-minded indies (cf. "The Good Student"), allowing Bruckner, Strathairn, and the rest of the ensemble something of substance to latch onto and form characters that the viewer actually cares about. "Blue Car" may only be a step or two above mediocre movie-of-the-week fare, but they're still admirably significant steps.

To be honest, I'm mostly motivated to comment on this title because it was shot in and around my home town. Interestingly, beyond one bit of dialogue and a (very) few recognizable locations, you'd never know it. The interiors for the "Florida" poetry contest, for instance, were shot in Ohio (as was most of the film), and although specifically placed in that state, "Blue Car" is pretty much an Anywhere, U.S.A. story. It's a character piece, and if not high art, it's still aiming for the sky.

Of definite interest to Bruckner or Strathairn fans, as well as a fine bit of foreshadowing to Moncrieff's far superior "The Dead Girl," "Blue Car" is still worth a watch to anyone who enjoys a nicely told story from the heart. Its paucity of budget may be more than visible, but there's no cheapness in its intent. Recommended.

Audience is expected to feel empathy for a bad person

[jndav01 · 1/10 · 7 July 2003]

Blue Car is an interesting movie for our times. I left the movie with much to think about. Initially, I thought better for it. However, in the end I could not get over the fact that the lead character does illegal acts voluntarily and without any regrets later. Somehow the audience is expected to forget such bad choices and feel empathy or sympathy. The movie does portray a world that is now so very complicated in the raising of children, but the writer needs to move beyond mere events and situations. Young people growing up in even the worst conditions have made heroic efforts that are more deserving to have their stories told.