Deidra und Laney - Diebstahl auf Schienen

I loved the characters, all of them. Even the outrageous psycho train dick.

Ashleigh Murray plays Deidra, the oldest sister, highly intelligent, valedictorian, the only one in her class with any hopes of getting into a top university. But when her Mother gets thrown into jail in a fit of insanity, Deidra is left to try and pay the bills and her college dreams fade. Food is down to a half bag of potato chips. Social services is pounding on her door, threatening to take her siblings Laney, played by Rachel Crow, and her brother to foster homes.

Deidra comes up with a plan: robbing freight trains that roll by her backyard with her shy little sister, a helmeted teddy bear, and fencing the stuff (detergent as an example, until they learn to read the labels on the crates) wholesale. Through the planning of the robberies and subsequent twists and turns, I fell in love with the two sisters, rooting for them to succeed at every turn.

Sounds heavy, but the movie is light, funny, and lovable. For me, Deidra & Laney is an edge of the midnight movie seat, unable to even take a break to grab a snack, and staying until the last credit rolled movie. And lastly, I appreciated a plot I haven't seen before, in a rural poverty stricken setting, and having mixed race kids as the protagonists.

Deidra & Laney Rob a Train is one heart-warming, entertaining film that one needs from time to time. I found myself rooting for the lead characters all the way.

The film is something of a feel- good vibe where not everything will feel plausible, but it's very easy to forgive because by then you'll be heavily invested in the characters. And the feel-good vibe also does not mean there aren't heavier issues handled with great care and heart. I was definitely tearing up in one scene. Ashleigh Murray is amazing as Deidra, the future Valedictorian who's left to take care of her sister and brother while their mom is in jail. She's very charismatic and was more than capable of carrying the film. I hope to see her in more good roles like this one. Rachel Crow, Danielle Nicolet and Sasheer Zamata were also such pleasures to watch in their respective roles. Missi Pyle also deserves a mention!

My 5 might be a tad generous. But the film boasts some likable characters played well by the principals. But the premise? The script? All shot through with more plot holes than can be listed here. Some of the scenes are downright impossible, let alone believable. And the film is too long. The beauty pageant angle could have been jettisoned. Would have cut ten minutes off the run time and tightened up the film considerably.

Not a great film. Not even a good one. But, as I noted, the main characters are intriguing and even ingratiating. They make the film watchable.

A combination of drama and teen adventure. It is about sisters who steal trains when their mother suffers a crisis and is imprisoned. An interesting movie. Current. How far would you be able to go to support and save your family? It is a moral premise that you question throughout the film, they steal to eat and stay together. Is it justifiable? Entertaining. Quality. With pleasant and funny moments. Addresses the importance of family and support.

This is a weak and uneven script. One sister has some background, yet the other does not have anything. Than you realize the scriptwriter wanted badly to make points with the losers in the audience that will empathize with the character because of bullying. And maybe trick some real reviewers into dropping a word about social issues. The pre production is awfully done. There is a family. But the individuals don't look anything like each other. Only in post production we get the nice parts like the way the title is made in the opening sequence.

And the awful moments of deus ex machina! The two women forget about the state employee visiting, but the apparently uninformed ex dad is there, for the first time in the whole script and he also had the time to clean up. His character might be a slob, but he surely knows how to clean a house with children home alone. And he is always very clean. Yet he is an underachiever.

Anyway, the over 30 characters are clownish.

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