Mercifully, Wild Honey is not the self-consciously quirky tale the trailer suggests. Instead, this modest film is the engaging story of a woman who has never fit neatly into categories and, without any picturesque eccentricities, comes across as entirely authentic.
I was pleasantly surprised by the originality of Wild Honey. It's sweet without being coy, and, refreshingly, it doesn't go where you expect it to.
Rusty Schwimmer is a joy as Gabby, and gives real depth to this "ordinary" person. Todd Stashwick (Vince) is, as always, excellent, despite the cliches written for his character, and Timothy Omundson makes Martin wholly believable. Didn't buy Stephne Weir as Rusty's sister -- she's supposed to be 2 years younger than Gabby but looks 10 years older, and overacts Esther's brittleness.
There's a great deal of gentle humor in Wild Honey -- gentle, but not sentimental -- and some unintentional humor as well. Gabby, Martin, and Vince all apparently learned to toke up from Bill Clinton: They all smoke their joints exactly like cigarettes, every time, every scene: one short draw and one second later exhaling a big puff of smoke. You wonder how they ever got high.
