Come Early Morning

Greetings again from the darkness. First time writer and director Joey Lauren Adams is probably best known as Amy in "Chasing Amy". Here she bares her soul in a story based on her life in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The premise of the emotionally absent local girl (a very earth turn by Ashley Judd) who drinks away her pain while sleeping with many a different guy is not necessarily a bad place to start when telling a story of self discovery. What goes wrong here is just the constant cloud of depressing people and scenes. We have no one to pull for (except maybe Kim, played cheerily by Laura Prepon from "That 70's Show") as they all seem to be drowning in a sea of self pity. Perhaps that is Ms. Adams point.

The supporting cast is impressive and solid with Jeffrey Donovan, Diane Ladd, Scott Wilson, Stacy Keach, Tim Blake Nelson and Pat Corley. Sadly, none are really given much to work with as far as script or character development. While, as a writer, Ms. Adams shows little promise, we should not give up just yet on her directorial abilities. She does a nice job of capturing small town U.S.A.

The DVD box promises us "the best performance of her career," and I'd agree with that 100%. Too bad this fine movie was saddled with a deadly non-commercial title, too bad the DVD is supposedly a "Blockbuster exclusive" which limits its availability. Too bad the summary on the box is dishonest; most likely just because some good movies are hard to describe.

JUDD plays a 30-something woman who often wakes up in a stranger's bed after several-too-many beers in a country music honky tonk. The story is about how she finds her way --- after a few stumbling blocks --- after her sister tells her that getting to know a guy such as his middle name and where he's from isn't so bad.

The marvel of the movie is a screenplay that follows her everyday life in a Southern town without ever resorting to anything but on-the-level events and interactions. Never boring, always involving, this is JUDD'S movie. She's on camera 99% of the running time. This is a brilliant portrait of a woman.

Lots of country music in the background. Good stuff, with lots of heart and sorrow; not the Kenney Chesney-like trash we hear on the radio these days with no tune and nothing lyrics; just loud. Old stuff, new stuff; but good stuff. Amen!

Talented Joey Lauren Adams wrote and directed this marvelous slice-of-life about a hard, stubborn, unapologetic young woman's journey to finding some self-worth in her quietly turbulent existence; she attempts to get her head in a good place and make peace with the past, but learns it doesn't all come into play overnight. Ashley Judd is just wonderful in the lead: gritty, tremulous, tough, never dumbed-down, she evokes just the right touch of devil-may-care recklessness with a kind of horse-sense which should resonate with a lot of viewers. If you ever come across this theatrical film playing on the Lifetime network, don't be fooled into thinking it's a cable-quickie. Adams puts a lot of thought into her prose (sometimes too much, as the conversations have a tendency to have an already worked-out give and take). The film is flawed, certainly, yet its scattershot hopefulness permeates through, and the performances are rich and memorable. A rewarding character-study, and a small triumph for both creator Adams and star Judd, marking a welcome return to serious acting. *** from ****

Saw this at the Chicago Film Festival and it was a great experience. The movie is a glimpse into the life and relationships of Lucy (Ashley Judd). I went in thinking it was going to be very intense and sad (especially after seeing some of the movie stills) and was very pleasantly surprised at the descriptive intense way the complex Lucy was portrayed and the light feel of the movie despite some very unhappy circumstances. I left the movie feeling like I got to know a good person and had some hope - but didn't see Hollywood clichés or forced happily ever afters.

The writer/director Joey Lauren Adams didn't take any shortcuts and quite happily didn't try to make a movie that appealed to everyone. This is a "real" southern town with "real" people. In the after movie question and answer session with Ms. Adams, she said it would be an interesting exercise to re-shoot the entire movie, keeping the dialog, with a man in the lead role. I keep going back to that…. I'd love to hear/see/read the different reactions of critics and audiences to the male and female versions of "Lucy".

There are no true jerks in this film, and that's at odds with reality, but otherwise this is an incredibly affecting film about an ordinary woman on the attractive side who frequents the local tavern looking for a quick tumble and one too many drinks. I've somehow met women like this though I'm not sure when and where. But Ashley Judd is so completely convincing and skilled at bringing this woman's story to the screen that I was completely won over. My wife likes her movies, but I've always found them a bit off the mark whenever I've seen one. In this film Joey Lauren Adams has done a truly worthwhile bit of directing and writing in shining a light on a small town story. The audience at Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival where I just saw it on the big screen seemed as appreciative as I was. She was heartily applauded when she came on to describe how this little gem was put together, and I, for one, was glad she was there to gather in the public appreciation. But I would have liked to have seen Ashley Judd too. Joey pointed out that she originally wanted to play the lead, but there's no question in my mind that no one could have nailed it like Ashley did. The supporting actors add spice and depth with quality and economy, but this is Ashley's show, and she does a wonderful job that's kicked her permanently up a few notches in my book. For once I sat through what I consider a chick flick and not only did I not fall asleep but felt truly entertained. Now that's a first, but let's not make a habit of it!