Daltry Calhoun

"Daltry Calhoun" is a tall refreshing drink of pure spring water in the sewage that's spilling out of Hollywood today. A beautiful, poignant, sweet character drama about a father who reunites with his 14 year old prodigy daughter. Johnny Knoxville is both funny, sweet, and endearing, but the real star is Sophie (I forget her last name) who plays June. Her performance is so powerful, funny, and magentic that you feel you're watching someone who will be a major star in a few years. Katrina Bronson's script and direction has that delicate but surehanded touch that I felt when I first saw "Lost in Translation." If you want to go to a movie to feel good and have something truly tug at your heartstrings, go see it.

...which was not nearly as funny as it (the ringer) could have been. But I, unlike some, enjoy when actors come out of their shell. Also, what is wrong with having a movie that just has heart. I am not a simpering watery eyed girlie man but i like "its a wonderful life", and every now and again i like to watch a movie that doesn't require a whole lot of effort and just leaves you feeling good.

Secondly I would like to point out that Johnny Knoxville is showing his range and that one day people will tire of jackass (of which I am a big fan) and he will fade away unless he strives to break out into other roles. As for Juliette Lewis, who has amazing range(Natural Born Killers to The Other Sister) I totally believed her character. I have met people like that in the South and in California where I am from.

We have become so used to sophomoric comedy and explosions that we fail to recognize a good movie that just leaves you with a smile.

Johnny Knoxville gets slammed for his acting, and it would be fair to say he isn't the best actor in the world, nor is he ever likely to be - this coming from someone who is a massive fan of his. But this film proves, certainly more than the 'actually better than it should be' Dukes of Hazzard that he can actually act.

This movie didn't do much for me on the first viewing - Which doesn't sound like much of a recommendation - but I would urge people to give it a chance. I found with each subsequent viewing, it just gets better and better. Everyone is the cast, from Knoxville to the supporting cast members, plays their parts brilliantly and makes their characters believable. For me, Knoxville really shines when in his scenes with Sophie Traub who plays June. There is a very endearing awkwardness to his character and he is very likable in this role. The other actors - especially the aforementioned Traub and the criminally underrated Juliette Lewis help to round out a solid cast. I would say that there do seem to be rather too many plot threads going on at one time, and perhaps the film would benefit from a few of them being trimmed and the film just concentrating on Daltry and June's relationship, but other than that, this film is actually well worth your time and effort to watch.

This isn't the best film in the world, nor is it ever likely to become so, but if you just want to see a sweet, well acted 'Sunday afternoon' type movie then give it a chance. Not every film has to be 'The Godfather', not every film has to change your life or make a difference. Sometimes all you want is to be entertained, and this film certainly does that.

I am writing because the only person, so far, who has posted a comment was clearly a man. It is so easy for someone to dismiss this movie as a "chick flick," but it only falls into that category if you are the kind of man who is totally out of touch emotionally. Yes, that is the norm, but still. I would highly recommend this film to anyone. Mothers will cry and young women will relate to the wonderful young actress who stars in the movie. Johnny Knoxville is surprisingly good as the unwitting father, and there are some very sweet father/daughter scenes. Juliette Lewis is, as always, fun to watch, and she handles her small role perfectly.

Despite good performances and solid direction, this movie leaves you wholly unsatisfied because essentially nothing climactic or surprising happens to tie it all together in the end.

The conflicts between the various characters resolve themselves all too easily, as does the problem Daltry is having with his failing empire. The ending leaves you feeling that once the script hit 100 pages, the screenwriter just decided to finish things off.

Worth seeing for solid performances by Knoxville and newcomer Sophie Traub, but overall it just feels like a good idea that never develops fully.