Middle of Nowhere

This was definitely a well acted movie. It had all the fixings; it made me laugh and even managed to make my eyes water. Sarandon is the household name, but Yelchin and Amurri steal the show. The story clearly revolves around them. They come from different worlds at first, but seem to come to an understanding after all is said and done. There are many different themes in this movie, and they all play a part in developing each character. However only the two main actors (Yelchin and Amurri) really have the chance to showcase their talents. Also, this movie made me realize that Yelchin maybe in the movie business for a long, long time.

Definitely worth a watch. Enjoy.

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is one of those surprise films that appear to have gone direct to DVD - not because they are unworthy of theater showing but because they are thinking films rather than explosively entertaining/CGI/3D extravaganzas. The script (Michelle Morgan) is smart, the concepts are viable and refreshingly not overdone, the direction (John Stockwell) shows great respect for the talents of the actors, and the cast is as solid as could be assembled for a film about touchy subjects. The theme that is born at the beginning of this film and grows in importance right to the end is the parent/child conundrum: when is parenting adequate and what are the drivers for dysfunctional family units.

Grace Berry (Eva Amurri, in a very natural and focused tough role) explains to a college scholarship counselor (Sharon London) that she needs financial aid to begin her higher education to become a doctor, but though she is a brilliant student, the counselor refuses to award a scholarship because of Grace's exceptionally bad credit rating. Distraught, Grace challenges her mother Rhonda (Susan Sarandon) when she discovers Rhonda has used Grace's name to open credit cards and has spent them to the limit. Grace needs big money to attend college and her summer job at the water park in town is minimum wage only. Also working at the water park is the happy-go-lucky Dorian (Anton Yelchin) who flirts with disaster, having found an 'extra job' selling weed to the rich folks of the city. After a lot of patter Dorian gently coerces Grace into being his driver (Dorian has no car, having been grounded for misbehavior by his grumpy uncle who is serving as relief for Dorian's adoptive parents), and the two begin a quality friendship that fills emotional and financial gaps in each of their lives.

But the truth about Grace and Dorian's parents surfaces: Dorian was given up by his 15-year- old mother for religious reasons and has been placed with quasi-appropriate wealthy parents; Grace lives with the knowledge that her father committed suicide only to come to discover that the suicide was the result of discovering that Rhonda was (and still is) having an affair with his brother Bob (William Haze). Grace's discovery comes through a conversation with her Aunt Polly (Karen Bramen, in an excellent role for this new actress) and Grace's mother-favored younger sister Taylor (Willa Holland), and the revelation sets off a series of events that propels the story to an end. Yes, there are sidebars expected in stories of teenagers: Grace falls in lust with rich kid Ben (Justin Chatwin); Taylor rebels against her mother by cutting her hair thus ending her mother's obsession with Taylor's becoming a model and Taylor seduces Dorian; Dorian confronts his birth mother; there are fights where Dorian is injured and finds himself alone without family support. But without a sugarcoated finale, the film ends quietly, affirming the importance of friends - a kind of love than can replace gaping holes in family relationships.

The movie truly belongs to Eva Amurri who proves she is becoming as fine an actress as her mother, Susan Sarandon. The film also allows Anton Yelchin to demonstrate a much broader range to his acting than he has been given before. The entire cast is excellent. This is a coming of age story - with far more attention being paid to the adult end of the developmental spectrum.

Grady Harp

If you liked 'Blue Valentine', 'Half Nelson', 'Crazy/Beautiful' or 'All That I Love (2009)' you're certainly gonna like this one.

I wasn't expecting really much to be honest but gave it a try and what a nice surprise it was. Don't expect anything dumb or crazy, another stupid teen flick this is not. Just normal young (but very smart and reasonable) people who struggle to find themselves and try to do something worthwhile with their lives. This film is a pretty good definition of the so called 'Gen Y'. Everything is authentic and it is this film's biggest advantage. So if you're in your early 20's and want to watch a film about people like you, go ahead, you won't be disappointed.

Kudos to John Stockwell. I admire his way of portraying things in an unpretentious, real and laid-back fashion. He really understands this day's youth and should get more credit for it.

Middle of Nowhere is a touching character study given an extra resonance by pairing the real life mother & daughter Susan Sarandon & Eva Amurri, playing a mother & daughter. Susan Sarandon takes a back seat while Eva Amurri really shines in her role as Grace, the older of two daughters being raised by her mother after their father's suicide. While mother's attention is focused on getting her younger daughter to modeling school, Grace has to find a summer job to raise money to fulfill her ambition of going to medical school. She does get a job at a water park where he meets Dorian (Anton Yelchin) who has an unusual scheme to find money to get Grace to college.

This movie is full of real characters with whom is easy to identify and empathize with. The acting is great with Amurri and Yelchin the standouts.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie, since its visible lack of propagation. First, I highly congratulate this film for being so real; all the cast is pretty unknown and they surely do their work with professionalism and realism. Better than that, they chose actors that look like ordinary people, not perfect actors with artificial beauty and years of gym. Main story is reasonable and we feel connection with every character, even thought sometimes they act a little strange-- mainly the younger sister, who didn't speak a word until some point. Anton Yelchin has an evident similarity with Corey Haim, specially when comparing with his work in 1988's "License to Drive". There isn't a moment in this movie that we see overacting or lack of plausibility, which is another plus for the flick. It is also impressive to see how these actors express their feelings with nature, getting into the characters for real. All in all, it's a surprisingly GREAT movie, and I congratulate the whole team for such professional work.