Auf und Davon

While this road trip movie isn't as good as Thelma and Louise, it really shouldn't be compared. The two films are very different. While Thelma and Louise are on the run the police, Mary Ann and Darly (the two main characters of Leaving Normal) are only on the run from themselves. Meg Tilly and Christine Lahti play the title characters with just the right touches of naivete and cynicism. Mary Ann is leaving a bad marriage (her second) and Darly is heading to Alaska to reclaim land from an earlier marriage. Their paths merge in Normal, Wyoming and they set out on a road trip that changes both of them. A few of the scenes (thankfully very few) don't seem to work - almost as if they were added for comic effect. Both actresses give great performances. If you can overlook a few plot problems (their new overweight friend Sixty-six seems to find a rich man and leaves all of her belongings behind with Mary Ann and Darly all in the same day) I think you'll find this movie to be an enjoyable and touching tale. The tag line of the movie is: Sometimes the only way to find where you're going is to lose your way. I don't know about you, but in my life that has been true more than a few times. Oh, be sure not to miss the best scene in the whole film. When returning to their car with coolant after it has overheated to find the car stripped and their possessions strewn everywhere Mary Ann (always trying to believe things will work out) says, "We'll still get there. We'll still get to Alaska." Cynical Darly gets the best line in the film, "You're just like a punching bag aren't you, Mary Ann? Knock you down and you get back up. I bet you're one of those people who say when life gives you lemons make lemonade. Well, guess what, sweetheart, life hasn't given us lemons, it's given us SHIT!" I laughed so hard the first time I watched this scene and it's still a line I quote on one of those days when nothing seems to go right. Rent this movie and you won't be sorry.

I only saw 'Leaving Normal' because it was on Sky TV one night and there was nothing else on, so, I decided to watch it. I wasn't expecting much of it, as most things on that last at night are usually things that are too boring to be on earlier. However, I was very surprised by it, I actually enjoyed it. It's a story about the friendship between Darly and Marianne, who met at a bus-stop after Marianne ran away from her abusive husband. Darly is going to Alaska and decided to take Marianne along with her, sort of like a daughter figure. Marianne always likes to look on the bright side of things which leads her into bad situations. Darly is assertive but good-natured, she means well. And because she was so witty it made the film much more enjoyable. The first half of the movie is a road-movie, Which consist of the troubles they face of trying to get to their destination, and when they get there, they want to leave, at least Darly does. It's a light-hearted drama and all ends well. Worth a watch.

Reviews below are mostly right. This is a movie about hope, struggle, faith and miracles, everything Thelma and Louise was not. One woman who commits to everything, for a few minutes, another who commits to nothing, fall in with each other, to search for a place for them themselves. This is Frank Capra of the 90's. We may not always know where we are going, and sometimes we might just have to trust, but there is a place for us. If you follow the twelve step philosophy, you can find all twelve steps played out in here. (These are two women who came out of dysfuctional families). The characters are unforgettable, the humor warm and wild, and the relationship that builds from the first ten minutes to the last second of the closing credits should not be missed. I watch this movie every few months and remind myself that if we hang in there, there is a place for us, and almost always,it isn't what we ever expected. I have owned 7 copies of this movie and often give it as gifts. IF you missed it, watch it again. It's there!

I really liked this movie. When I saw the cover in a local video rental, I thought it would be a cheezy Thelma & Louise knock-off. I was wrong.

I was impressed by the performances of Lahti and Tilly. While a bit odd and quirky, the characters were also real. Both women annoyed me at times but I could also feel sympathy for them. Some parts of the movie were kind of dreamy and surreal, which gave the film more character. The wilderness backdrops were breathtaking. I laughed my butt off on several occasions.

In all, this was a really cool movie. It's not for all tastes but I think it's worth viewing.

I saw Leaving Normal during its original theatrical release and watched it again recently after purchasing the film on DVD. My friends and I really enjoyed this film when we saw it back in 1992, when we were big into early 90s quirk with films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Gas Food Lodging, Simple Men and Surviving Desire. Leaving Normal fits quite neatly into this group of films. It also reminds me of one of my all-time favorite and most watched films, which also happens to be a story about an unlikely female friendship, Bagdad Cafe (1987).

It's difficult for me to assess Leaving Normal with any sense of objectivity. When I watched it again recently, I was overcome with a sense of nostalgia for the early 90s when I was in my early 20s and was yet to make some pretty dumb decisions with my life (it all turned out okay though). I don't think the film has aged especially well (I'm thinking about some shoddy matte paintings) and its quirkiness may just annoy some people, but it has enough to offer the casual viewer to be entertaining. If you are fortunate enough to be open to its sincere message about the universe having a place for everyone (if we will just let go and allow ourselves), then you may find that you bond with Marianne and Darly and all the offbeat characters they meet on their journey towards wholeness. You may then find that you make a space for this little film in your heart, like most of the other reviewers on this site.