Movies
Blue Car
A paradigm, practically a parody, of the American Independent Film, the coming-of-age of a vulnerable high-school girl (the conventionally "pretty" Agnes Bruckner, whose discomfort is contagious), with an overtaxed mother ("You're an ungrateful brat!"), an absent father, a self-mutilating little sister, a nose-ringed bosom buddy, and a caring English teacher who tutors her for an upcoming poetry contest in Florida, where he expands the tutorial to the subject of sex. The increasing degrees of intimacy leading up to that moment are well marked by writer-director Karen Moncrieff, and the sex scene itself is nicely played, with the conflicted teacher constantly checking with his unenthusiastic pupil ("Is this okay?... You all right?"). Any favor gained in that scene is immediately frittered away in the corny revelation about the teacher's own writing ambitions, and in the embarrassingly public retribution. David Strathairn is excellent throughout, and Frances Fisher all but steals the show in a brief and belated appearance as his difficult wife, grandly savoring the first sip of cocktails in the afternoon ("Let the relaxation begin!"), and cuttingly correcting the teacher's pet on the number of syllables in the word "poem." With Margaret Colin. 2002.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: R
