Trucker

I was able to see this film at the Austin Film Festival 2008. Saw it twice actually, since Natnan Fillion's number one fan wasn't able to go the night I had it on my calendar. Despite problems with the script (didn't always ring true) and definitely with the dialogue (again, problems with truth, and reality), Nathan, Michelle, and Jimmy give fine performances. Dialogue weakness, I would guess, would be a tough thing for an actor to overcome, but Nathan sails through it with flying colors. I would have liked to have asked the director why he chose sepia tones for some of the scenes - they simply didn't fit with the message/action on screen. I'd ask, but he'd probably not answer, like in the Q&A at the Sunday evening screening. (What, me bitter? No.) If I had to guess, I'd say that the director makes some rookie errors since this was his first narrative; and, it appears he was more interested in being an "artiste" rather than telling the audience a story. Overall though, I enjoyed the picture, particularly Nathan Fillion, Michelle Monaghan and Jimmy Bennett.

Very good for a 12 year old offering. Actors acquitted themselves with honor. Wish there were more good movies like this.

Diane Ford (Michelle Monaghan), a vivacious and successful independent truck driver, leads a carefree life of long-haul trucking, one night stands and all-night drinking with Runner (Nathan Fillion) until the evening her estranged 11-year-old son, Peter (Jimmy Bennett) is unexpectedly dropped at her door due to his father's recent diagnosis of cancer. Peter hasn't seen his mother since he was a baby and wants to live with Diane as little as she wants him, but they are stuck with each other - at least for now, while his father Len (Benjamin Bratt) is in the hospital. Burdened with this new responsibility and seeing the life of freedom she's fought for now jeopardized, Diane steps reluctantly into her past and looks sidelong at an uncharted future that is not as simple or straightforward as she had once believed possible... Trucker is essentially a character study of this woman, Diane, who's a bit of lone wolf but is forced to change her life and behavior in order to be something she doesn't quite know how to be, a parental figure, a mother. Despite her initial struggle, Diane's maternal instincts do kick in at some point as she gets closer to her son, and she also comes to certain realizations regarding her love life and general lifestyle. Trucker's cinematography is great and the soundtrack (composed mainly by country music) is very fitting. Michelle Monaghan was great as Diane and this was probably the most challenging role of her career so far. With no make up and stripped of most of her femininity, Monaghan really did personified this tough woman, alienated from society who's life has taken a toll from being constantly on the road with no real connection, no real relationships. Nathan Fillion did a good job too, giving a tender and genuine performance. Jimmy Bennett, the kid, was pretty good as well. Overall I enjoyed Trucker but I do think the film lacks a little something, I'm not sure if it's development, or if the film is too predictable but there's something missing here. Obviously, films about small town life are usually not very eventful and that's why Trucker relies so much on the acting and on its cinematography but I think the film needed something more. Having said that, Trucker is a pleasant surprise and a very promising debut by director James Mottern.

7/10

What embodies the lonely, self-dependent person than the trucker? Hours upon hours of driving with nothing but some music and one's own thoughts. We've seen this protagonist before, just not in the form of the beautiful Diane (Michelle Monaghan) cussing and driving a truck. The opening scene with Diane getting a quick sexual fix, pulling out a cigarette and hitting the road without saying more than a word or two is not exactly original character development, but James Mottern's debut film hits a notably real chord in all its silence and familiarity.

When Diane gets stuck with Peter, an 11-year-old boy who as it turns out is the son she abandoned an infancy, suddenly "Trucker" has the workings of an "unlikely pair go on a road trip comedy." Fortunately, that tired concept of two people who don't like each forming a bond pretty much ends after the first third of the film and everything becomes much more real. After all, Diane is watching Peter because his dad, her ex-husband, is dying of colon cancer -- not your typical circumstance. And rather than Diane and Peter slowly reconnecting as mother and son throughout, there are much more ups and downs.

Occasionally "Trucker" will dip into cliché, namely in its handling of mother-son dialogue. Peter is a smart kid with real kid issues of wanting to be loved and showing it by provoking adults, but a couple times Mottern has him drift into the kid who says something intelligent and revealing about the older character who is frozen by the comment and considers it in a lingering camera shot at the end of the scene. Mottern keeps the film quiet and subtle for so much of it and these techniques put little cracks into his vision.

But Mottern must be thankful for this strong core cast. Monaghan excels in her first dramatic starring role. Diane is not the most complicated of characters to solve, but Monaghan keeps her from ever becoming an open book. Her lone wolf speak-your-mind mentality is much more at odds with the small kernel of her that wants to make meaningful connections with the people who have suddenly become close to her. The young Jimmy Bennett also impresses as Peter, having a lot more scenes requiring self-awareness and meaningful discussion that most child actors. Nathan Fillion, who plays Diane's friend Runner also works his charms and Benjamin Bratt as the dying father earns our sympathy quickly despite his minimal screen time.

"Trucker" could have done with half the number of driving in a truck to contemplative indie music transition sequences, but that's just the kind of film it is. It has that timeless, expected story line of two people who slowly forge a relationship they didn't think they wanted but both need, yet some unpredictable moments and solid performances throughout that keep its message fresh a create genuine sympathy for its characters.

~Steven C

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Diane Ford (Michelle Monaghan) is an independent long haul trucker. She lives alone and has one night stands. Runner (Nathan Fillion) is her married drinking buddy. Her ex-husband Len Bonner (Benjamin Bratt) is in the hospital with cancer. His girlfriend Jenny Bell drops off Diane's son Peter (Jimmy Bennett) for three weeks. Both are estranged from each other. With schedules to keep, Diane has to take Peter on the road.

It's a small indie with Monaghan doing her some of her best acting. It's an unrelenting role. She does a good job although it's not so terrific that it elevates the movie into the stratosphere. The story is a meandering trip of personal growth to find her maternal side. Her tough outer shell has no easy answers. It's a solid indie.