Come Early Morning (2006)

A thirty-something southern woman searches for love, despite the burdens she carries with her.

Director:

Joey Lauren Adams

Writer:

Joey Lauren Adams

Stars:

Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Tim Blake Nelson

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashley Judd	...	Lucille Fowler
Jason T. Davis	...	Motel Man
Richard Lee Crow	...	Motel Clerk
Laura Prepon	...	Kim
Christine Renee Ward	...	Sue (as Christy Ward)
Candyce Hinkle	...	Doll
Scott Wilson	...	Lowell Fowler
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Uncle Tim
Pat Corley	...	Papa
Diane Ladd	...	Nana
Wally Welch	...	Eli
Ritchie Montgomery	...	Bob
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Cal, Cal Percell
Rick Dial	...	Mike
Nancy Wilder	...	Michelle (as Nancy Ellen Mills)

Storyline

The sins of the fathers. In a town near Little Rock, Lucy Fowler works hard for a construction firm; on weekends she drinks, goes home with someone, and come early morning, wakes and leaves as fast as she can. She cares a lot about her father, newly back in town, a painfully shy man who has nothing to say to her. She does go to a Holy Roller church with him about the same time that she starts, fitfully, a relationship with Cal Percell, new in town and a good guy. She kisses him sober, but still has demons to confront. What's the source of her careless ways; can she turn coal into a diamond?

---

Plot Keywords:

banging one's fist on a table | watching tv | woman fights a woman | female protagonist | church | 

---

Taglines:

Before you fall in love, you need to love yourself.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual situations

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joey Lauren Adams had only five weeks to prep the film.

---

Goofs

Keys can be seen hanging in Lucy's refrigerator. They were left in the fridge by teamsters who wanted to remember to shut it off before leaving for the day.

---

Quotes

Lucy Fowler: It's like grapefruit, right? It's real nice and stuff and people love it, but when they're done, what's left over is pretty ugly.

---

Connections

References The Andy Griffith Show (1960)

---

Soundtracks

IT'S RAINING
Performed by Jerry Deaton
Written by Jerry Deaton (ASCAP)
Published by Back Deat Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Imperfect Perfect Music

User Reviews

Ashley Judd, Welcome Back

COME EARLY MORNING marks the writing and directing debut of Joey Lauren Adams who elects to share a bit of her birthplace atmosphere in Arkansas and while the story is sound and the writing evocative of the personal turmoil of little towns populated by good but bored people, there is nothing new here. But just the opportunity to see gifted actress Ashley Judd strut her stuff is reason enough to watch this little film and makes us wonder where has she been since her 2004 stint in 'De-Lovely'. She is just too fine an actress not to be given more beefy roles.

Lucy Fowler (Judd) lives in a little Arkansas town, a successful contractor with boss Owen Allen (Stacy Keach, another underused fine actor), but a woman without a firm attachment to her fragmented family: her shy and sequestered father (Scott Wilson) has returned to town where he hides in alcohol and steps out only for Holy Roller church services; her grandmothers Doll (Candyce Hinkle) is unstable and keeps to herself and Nana (Diane Ladd) remains in a mutually abusive marriage; and her uncle Tim (Tim Blake Nelson) who is the only stalwart member of the clan. Lucy lives with her friend Kim (Laura Prepon) who understands Lucy's shortcomings: unable to form relationships, Lucy spends her weekends getting drunk at the local tavern and sleeping with anonymous men whom she deserts a dawn.

But things change when Lucy encounters Cal Percell (Jeffrey Donovan) who provides her with the first semblance of normalcy in her relationships with men, a frightening new step she abuses by entering into her drinking mode again. Lucy begins to make changes in her view of her family, her fear of being the mirror image of her father, in her work, and in the way she views men. And the film just trails off leaving us wondering what life will now be like.

Adams has a fine handle on her subject and creates dialog that feels like it should: her election to make such a fine three-dimensional character out of Lucy's father who barely has a line to say is much to her credit (and the strong performance by Scott Wilson!). But in the end it is the pleasure of seeing Ashley Judd in a meaty role that makes the difference. Grady Harp

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 2007 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Come Early Morning

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,160, 12 November 2006

Gross USA:

$119,452

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$161,408

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bold Films, Firm Films, Holly Wiersma Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1