By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Laurie Collyer
Starring: Brad William Henke | Bridget Barkan | Maggie Gyllenhaal | Sam Bottomw
Country: united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423169/
Michael says: “There is one reason to see SHERRYBABY, and that’s for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s fearless performance as Sherry, a single mother recently released from jail and on parole after serving three years for stealing to support her drug habit. It’s the kind of role that actresses dream about that allows them to show their acting chops and perhaps play against type. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the rest of Laurie Collyer’s first narrative film (she directed a documentary in 1999), it just plays a little too much like a TV movie about addiction. Sherry misses her daughter terribly after her years in prison, and she is determined to straighten up her life and be a good mother. The problem is her brother and his wife, who have been taking care of Sherry’s daughter Alexis since she was a toddler, have grown to love her like their own daughter, and are concerned about Sherry’s ability to parent on her own. Sherry tries hard, but find herself slipping into past behaviors when faced against unfair prejudices or other obstacles, like finding work or facing her father (who, in a fairly awkward cliché, sexually abused Sherry as a child).
“In the end, the talented Gyllenhaal rises above the material, and for the most part, Collyer lets her star carry the film. Supporting performances by Brad William Henke and Bridget Barkan as Sherry’s brother and his wife, are strong, and their characters are more three-dimensional than you might expect, struggling between their love for a little girl who doesn’t belong to them, and concern over doing the right thing. The fact that Collyer good friend and former mentor is screenwriter and producer Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal’s mother, must have helped with the casting, and was able to elevate the film enough for its brief distribution.
Gyllenhaal is definitely an actor to be reckoned with. Here’s hoping she enjoys a long and varied career. 3 ½ cats.”