By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.9 cats
Director: Karen Moncrieff
Starring: Agnes Bruckner | David Straithairn | Frances Fisher | Margaret Colin
Country: united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0290145/combined
Esmé says: “I really liked this movie a lot. The main character’s pathos was palpable (it was about poetry, I can alliterate, can’t I?) I was really moved by the story, and having just watched LILJA 4-EVER, I was suspicious of the teacher from the get go. (A high school girl is encouraged to enter a poetry contest by her AP teacher, her 7-8 year old sister won’t eat and cuts herself, her mother is distracted. Meg, the aspiring poet is trying to keep it all together: get to Florida for the contest, take care of her
sister and live up to the expectations of her teacher.)”
Nathaniel T. says: “I know that most people were at least a little impressed with Agnes Bruckner’s BLUE CAR, but I must say that I just out-and-out hated this film. With all the subtlety of an American military campaign, BLUE CAR charges through its overwrought, self-pitying, angst-driven plot at full speed, avoiding no cliches along the way.
“I found myself not only checking my watch during this film, but also taking a break to go talk to some friends about how unbearably bad the film was. I don’t usually ever take extended pause breaks, but I felt it was necessary for my sanity.
“Critics fawned all over the performances in this film, but I can’t understand why at all. Every supporting performance was one-dimensional and the leads were merely adequate. This was not an actor’s showcase people.
“On a final note, was anyone else absolutely bored stiff during great lengths of this film? I have never been as uninterested in a film as I found myself in this one by the half-way mark. I seriously considered turning it off after an hour.” A Dead Cat
Ivy says: “This is out on video and I would love to hear if anyone else saw the film. It did teeter into the teenage melodrama in the epilogue, but the script shows a new perspective on a common storyline in edgy films (adult man attracted to jailbait girl.) This film comes from the girl’s perspective and successfully handles this always controversial storyline with a feminist perspective
that I found very refreshing. The cinematography captures the cloying and humid setting for the film. Although the setting is pretty mundane it ends up being lush and surprisingly colorful.
“This film isn’t a piece of brilliance but it is a very strong story, and the kind of small indie film that is normally embraced by Chlotrudis. If all of you missed it then definitely rent it before the voting begin” 4 cats
Hilary responds: “(Oh well, leave it to me to have a less favorable opinion.) I was less impressed with this film. I felt that it spent too much time in Lifetime-Television-for-Women mode, particularly with the cheesy, heavy-handed soundtrack. There were several serious issues at play but mostly they were presented and not fully addressed and were just too much for a 96-minute
film.
“SPOILER: I was particularly puzzled by the treatment of the sister’s death. Her depression and death were rushed and then glossed over, which I felt was wholly unrealistic for an event of that magnitude. Any emotional impact was lost within the other developing melodramatic sub-plots.”
“There were some good points, however. I agree about the cinematography, Agnes Bruckner gave a solid performance in the role of Meg, the early interaction between Meg and her sister seemed authentic, and the central plotline of Meg’s increasingly complicated and innappropriate relationship with her teacher, Mr. Auster (David Strathairn), was handled well. The building tension was palpable and the ‘seduction’ scene was uncomfortable to watch; awkward and simply wrong.”
Scot says: “What, are you all crazy? This film was quite fine! Okay, it has a few problems, but if you watch the extras on the DVD,
you see where they come from. Regardless, and despite the problems…
“I am going to nominate Margaret Colin (the mother) for Best Supporting Actress.
“If you haven’t seen the film, you lost out. If you have seen the film, get your ass over to the nominations page and support me in this. I love this actress and I think this ranks among her best roles.
“See, my real motivation is to get her to speak at Chlotrudis Awards.
“As far as the whole movie goes, I give it 4 cats. (What could you expect? It was shot in my hometown and mentioned Elder Beerman department stores!)”
Michael says: “Karen Montcrieff’s BLUE CAR is a worthy effort, and a strong debut film. The somewhat familiar story of a troubled teen with a gift for poetry who becomes involved in an emotionally dangerous relationship with her teacher and mentor is buoyed by strong performances and a competent directorial hand. While flawed, I enjoyed BLUE CAR quite a bit, and am a bit mystified by Nathaniel’s strong hatred for it.
“I was particularly impressed by the young lead, played by Agnes Bruckner. It was refreshing to see a teen character wrestling with all sort of emotional drama who was not a tortured, outwardly angry and anti-social character. Meg truly wants to be happy and have a nice life, and will actually actively attempt to attain that. Quite different from the usual disaffected youth we usually see in this situation.
“I will echo Scot’s praise for Margaret Colin, who has a difficult role in the preoccupied mother. Colin successfully balances between the self-involved divorced woman and the concerned mother. Frances Fisher puts in a nice performance as an unhappy, somewhat bitter neglected wife, and David Straithairn perfectly captures the proper mixture of sympathy and revulsion in his difficult role of the older teacher/mentor taking advantage of his high school student.
“Ivy’s comments about the cinematography are dead on, and Montcrieff transforms the suburban setting of Dayton, Ohio into a lush, overripe landscape. This film is definitely worth a look on video, and if you need another film before nomination time, you could do a lot worse.” 3 1/2 cats