Pennies

Five years before her outstanding performance in the movie that made her a star, Amy Adams was the star of a short film written by her brother that took a year to make and four years to have released. Little would've been known about it though, unless it had some exposure on the internet.

Charlotte Brown(Amy Adams) is single mother and a waitress at a diner apparently somewhere in downtown Los Angeles, and she's in trouble, and so is her daughter, unless she delivers a certain amount of money. Veteran character actor Ronnie Schell plays "Happy" Tinker, her boss. He has no idea what kind of mess Miss Brown and her daughter are in. Then again, neither do we. From the Latino busboy who keeps quoting Elvis Presley, to the old street bum, to the guy explaining the birds and the bees to his son, a pair of lesbians, some S.O.B. cowboys, and everybody in between, two burnouts make an observation about the events in the diner. What's so unusual though is not the colorful characters in this diner, but the fact that Amy doesn't play as one of them. Usually, she shines above the fray. Instead she's the most normal character in the movie.

As the first commentator said, the movie's ending is a surprise, but it helps to have never seen this before. It also introduced me to the music of Kidney Thieves. I'm usually ahead of most people when it comes to music. Either way, it's an intriguing item in the Amy Adams filmography collection.

Excellent direction and production, and Amy Adams was convincing and vulnerable. The actress, Debby Porter and one-half of a pair of closeted lesbians was quite humorous for a new actress. Matthew Grant is always a stand-out in any part that he undertakes, having also produced and directed films. Diana Valentine is an experienced director, having started out as a stunt-woman, then moving to script supervising before directing. Warner Loughlin is a successful acting coach, with a quite impressive clientèle. Eddie Adams writing is very mature for his young age. The crew consisted of some of the best gaffers, cameramen and A.D.s in the business. Ronnie Schell, a veteran actor, really adds some character to the picture. It's a feel-good picture, and shouldn't be missed if you have the chance to see it. Pennies is an all-around hit!