Purely Joyful Movie!

Memorable, crazy movie

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The first must-see film of the year.

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!

The lead female character is so boring and lacking in vitality. I can understand an old guy being attracted to a vivacious, experienced young lady, but why this one, other than her being an easy mark? If an old guy ever gets a chance to be with her, how would she even know how to roll with it, and satisfy his interests? Answer: she won't.Another reviewer mentioned the lack of decent adults portrayed. But her mom was not so bad, and the owner of the clothing shop was totally decent. The girl was the cynical one in that situation. If you haven't seen it yet, then keep a watch for that.I do think the lead actress's facial expressions and body language were accurate for that type. She did that stuff well. I normally love David Strathairn, but what a bore he was in this one. No emotion. I'm not blaming that on him. It could have been the writers or director. An English teacher should be passionate and animated. This guy was stoic and controlled, like most of David's characters. I guess he was the alienated writer type. That's one way of looking at it.Even in the crucial scenes at the end, he doesn't really let loose and kick a wall or cry. That would have made this film more believable. Although I guess we were supposed to assume he had a history of getting "close" to students. So he had been down this road before perhaps.Scenery and music are not too significant here, although I suppose the background music helped create the somber vibe. But I have no recollection of it, and I just saw it a few minutes ago.So its' impact was subtle.Many small films attempt to show that life is messy and rarely follows the script we write for ourselves. This one did that satisfactorily. The male lead's answer at the end, to the question of how he expected it all to turn out, was more than telling. There's a good line in there about "being transformed." That was his plan.Ultimately, like John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans." I'd skip this one, unless you feel some connection to the storyline. The relationship is awkward and disturbing, and the usury practiced by various characters will just depress the heck out of you. it's a downer.

Karen Moncrieff's understated film, 'Blue Car', tells the story of a mildly disaffected teenager; as she drifts through the world, never quite belonging, I was reminded of 'Ghost World', although this movie lacks that film's more stylised feel. The story has one Hollywood moment (albeit in a muted form) when she reads a hastily written, highly personal poem in a public competition; in fact, the shards of poetry present in this film are good enough to bear the symbolic weight put upon them by the plot. Yet I was left with the feeling that this is somehow half a story, and that, by underplaying everything, the director can't do much more than tell us her lead character is sad - in 'Ghost World', the vaguely surreal backdrop provided some contrast that is lacking here. The performances aren't bad, however, and the soundtrack features some pretty but predictable folky-style songs.

...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.