Tennessee

TENNESSEE is a minimalist film: there is very little dialogue, not a lot of movement, not a huge climax. It just happens and while it is happening it changes you. Though it is a small budget film it makes a big impact, making us wish that there were more films like this to counterbalance all the big over the top bonanzas that seem to rule the theater circuit. It is gently written (by Russell Schaumburg), sensitive directed by Aaron Woodley, and acted with honesty by a fine young cast.

Ellis (Ethan Peck, definitely an actor on the rise) and Carter (Adam Rothenberg (ditto) are brothers; their mother is dead and their father has a history of abusing the boys to the point that Ellis and Carter no longer see him. Ellis is a photographer by hobby, taking photographs of mountains and landscapes in their Tennessee small town: Carter drinks too much but looks after his younger brother. Ellis is diagnosed as having leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant - Carter offers but despite being siblings the match is not adequate. The brothers set out on a trip to be together and end up in New Mexico. But soon they are on the road again and in Texas they pause at a diner where they meet Krystal (Mariah Carey) waiting tables, but preferring to write songs. Seeing that the brothers have no money, Krystal takes them home - she is married to an alcoholic Texas Ranger Frank (Lance Reddick) who routinely beats her and demands that the 'freeloaders' be gone in the morning. The next morning the three of them take the car and head to Tennessee - the boys have decided that Ellis' only hope is to find their father to see if he is a candidate to donate bone marrow. The three are chased by Frank until they finally reach Tennessee where, for need of cash, Krystal sings in a nightclub contest and captures the audience's approval while she now has money to give to the brothers to find their father.

How these disparate, desperate people come together emotionally and the manner in which the story ends may seem too pat for some, but for viewers with vulnerable hearts this little film will be fulfilling. Each of the cast is excellent, but it is such a pleasure to see Mariah Carey in a role that merits her talent and find that she handles it so well is rewarding. It is a small story with a huge heart.

Grady Harp

I urge everyone reading this to NOT listen to reviews written by Mariah haters who want nothing more than to hate this film or people who clearly haven't seen it. I watched the film tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival and enjoyed it. While this movie is about two brothers, it's really the role of Krystal that steals the film. It just so happens to be Mariah Carey's role but if any other actress were playing it I'd probably say the same. Mariah doesn't look lost and confused here as she did in Glitter. Here she's fully confident and it shows. It does help that her character seems to be the only one in the entire film to be fully thought out. The Krystal role really brightens up the screen and comes along at just the right point to move the story along - without her I don't think I'd recommend the film as much.

After the film was over the writer spoke to us about intentionally writing little dialogue so that the actors were allowed to bring their character to life on their own terms. However, it felt at times like the film was too silent and lacked dialogue in important places towards the beginning where the brothers appear at a lost for words because there were simply no lines written. Also, it's hard understanding the relationship between the two brothers and their father without adequate back story. I would have liked to know a little more about how the father came to be the way he was - the few flashbacks did not help explain it. But on another positive note, like an audience member pointed out the film does have a beautiful landscape. The scenery featured throughout include various mountains, valleys and day/evening aerial shots which brought life to the overall picture. I don't recall much of a soundtrack but the one Mariah song was clearly a throwaway from her songbook, which may have been intentional since we're to believe she's an amateur just starting out on her journey to stardom. In conclusion, I'd say the actors all did a fine job with the script they were given and put their best foot forward. However, I think it'd be fair to state that this could have been a much better film with stronger dialogue and better direction.

i had no expectations about this film and i knew very little about it. all i knew of it was that it was a slow-paced melodrama about a cross-country journey. so with that in mind, the end result was quite pleasing as the film is actually a good quality film. even though there are some areas of the film that can be worked on- the beginning being a tad bit fast, the end being a bit slow, and the fact that some scenes weren't developed enough to make you fully comprehend the characters' emotions- the film itself worked well enough to draw you in. this is a pretty sad film that has a great message behind it. it kind of hits you and makes you think about life and enjoying it while you can. also, the acting was pretty good. believe it or not, mariah carey actually made the film a lot more interesting to watch, and she proved she can act in some way. put behind her 'glitter' debacle and you'll see some pretty good performances from her. overall, i liked it better than it thought i would, and i would watch it again.

Several years after fleeing their abusive father--and then losing their mother and only guardian to an unnamed cause--two young brothers hit the road on their own, but one of them contracts an unspecified disease requiring a bone marrow transplant. Stark, sketchy, turgid drama...tailor-made for indie film festivals as the writing is deliberately obtuse, the characters hopeless, and the landscapes barren and lonesome. Still, an arch phoniness renders the project unconvincing--and the characters uninteresting. Mariah Carey pops up as a put-upon truck stop waitress whose dream is to become a songwriter; changing the focus of the narrative almost instantly upon her arrival, Carey's working girl seems an unlikely fit for the troubled siblings, though at least she provides some quiet sparkle to the otherwise dour proceedings. *1/2 from ****

Kerrigand has exaggerated on the "beautiful painting" mumbo jumbo about this film. We saw it last night at a free screening north of Dallas. My man went with me and we both agreed: it was not a bad movie --in fact, I had VERY low expectations of Mariah Carey & co. and I was very surprised. She did a good job and the two brothers also did a good job with their characters. The acting was mostly pretty good (only a couple of scenes made me want to either hurl or giggle at the absurdity.. but many movies have a couple of scenes like this). Overall, good job.

The last 20 seconds of the movie was sub-par; I hope they change it before the release.

The main reason I was still disappointed with the film despite being pleasantly surprised by the acting was because it was a bit slow and I wasn't in the mood for a drama (I'm not usually in the mood for a drama, to be honest). And that's exactly what this is. So if you like'em a little emotional and slow (think Terms of Endearment but not quite as funny), you'll probably enjoy the movie. But if you prefer action or comedy, spare yourself.