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Wendy & Lucy
2008, Kelly Reichardt
Reichardt's follow-up to Old Joy, which is also set in and filmed in Oregon. It's the story of a young woman named Wendy, very well played by Michelle Williams, who has only a few hundred dollars to her name, a car and a dog named Lucy. She's made her way across the country from the midwest, aiming for Alaska and some promise of hopeful employment and escape from her situation of living with her sister and brother-in-law, looking to strike out on her own. She keeps a notebook with her expenses planned to the penny, sleeping in her car along the way to make the small nestegg last, and if everything were to go to plan she'd have just enough cash to make it. But things seldom go according to plan, especially when you're driving an old car.
One morning her car won't start and after an attempt at shoplifting at a local grocery store she winds up losing her dog, too. The rest of the plot concerns her dealing with the car at a shop in town and trying to locate her pooch. Having no address, phone or much money makes these seemingly simple tasks Herculean. The guy who owns the garage where her car has been towed, played by Will Patton, is fairly sympathetic but can't work miracles for only a couple hundred dollars. Better still is the old security guard (Wally Dalton) who she befriends and at least lets her use his cellphone as a contact point for the dog search. Wendy quickly learns how close she is to falling off the edge of society and that her plan, such as it was, ain't gonna work.
But Wendy & Lucy isn't really about plot, it's a still, quiet, John Cassavettes-like glimpse at this girl and her predicament. Except for a little tune hummed by Wendy, there is no scoring. There are no fancy camera set-ups, and not much "happens". But as a character piece with its documentary tone, it's quite engaging and never becomes a polemic. I've always liked Michelle Williams on screen, be it comedy or drama, but she hasn't gotten many starring roles. She's excellent as Wendy and it should lead to more work as the main character in small and big films alike.
GRADE: B
Wendy & Lucy
2008, Kelly Reichardt
Reichardt's follow-up to Old Joy, which is also set in and filmed in Oregon. It's the story of a young woman named Wendy, very well played by Michelle Williams, who has only a few hundred dollars to her name, a car and a dog named Lucy. She's made her way across the country from the midwest, aiming for Alaska and some promise of hopeful employment and escape from her situation of living with her sister and brother-in-law, looking to strike out on her own. She keeps a notebook with her expenses planned to the penny, sleeping in her car along the way to make the small nestegg last, and if everything were to go to plan she'd have just enough cash to make it. But things seldom go according to plan, especially when you're driving an old car.
One morning her car won't start and after an attempt at shoplifting at a local grocery store she winds up losing her dog, too. The rest of the plot concerns her dealing with the car at a shop in town and trying to locate her pooch. Having no address, phone or much money makes these seemingly simple tasks Herculean. The guy who owns the garage where her car has been towed, played by Will Patton, is fairly sympathetic but can't work miracles for only a couple hundred dollars. Better still is the old security guard (Wally Dalton) who she befriends and at least lets her use his cellphone as a contact point for the dog search. Wendy quickly learns how close she is to falling off the edge of society and that her plan, such as it was, ain't gonna work.
But Wendy & Lucy isn't really about plot, it's a still, quiet, John Cassavettes-like glimpse at this girl and her predicament. Except for a little tune hummed by Wendy, there is no scoring. There are no fancy camera set-ups, and not much "happens". But as a character piece with its documentary tone, it's quite engaging and never becomes a polemic. I've always liked Michelle Williams on screen, be it comedy or drama, but she hasn't gotten many starring roles. She's excellent as Wendy and it should lead to more work as the main character in small and big films alike.
GRADE: B