Encontros ao Acaso

Joey Lauren Admans "Come Early Morning" seems almost like a continuation of the film that made its star, Ashley Judd, famous, Victor Nunez' "Ruby in Paradise." Both pictures are about girls trying to make a life for themselves in small southern towns, but Lucy, the protagonist of "Early Morning" is at least a decade older than Ruby. That is why it seems almost to be the next chapter in Ruby's story.

The decade has not treated the protagonist well. Where as Ruby was a sort of wide eyed innocent, Lucy is now a woman whose journey through life is encumbered by a lot of baggage.

She has problems relating to men on a romantic level, seeing them as either cold and unresponsive like her father or just mean and domineering like some of the other men in her family and the slugs she picks up in local bars.

So, somewhat predictably, when she meets a nice guy, she rejects him enough times that he eventually moves on.

Ashley Judd is such a fine, appealing actress that she keeps you glued to the screen, despite the somewhat predictable plot twists. But there is something about the screenplay which fails, for I never had much faith in her character, who in many ways seemed as emotionally bottled up as her father.

And that's the film's failure. "Ruby" ended on a hopeful note, if for no other reason than that the central character was smart, resourceful and had her whole life ahead of her. "Come Early Morning's" protagonist faces a cloudy future and while the film showed guts in admitting that, it didn't leave you wanting to see more of Lucy the way the earlier film made you want more of Ruby.

Nice try by everyone involved, but it was just too dark a picture in many ways.

One final note. So many films these days have no significant subplot. Lucy had some kind of construction business, but it was so downplayed that in the end, when she takes over the business, we don't exactly know how big an achievement that is, or if it really means more to her than just taking on harder work for no real pay off.

This film could have been more effective had her career or some other aspect of her life been more fully developed so that she faced some real test there as well. Subplots are important in that they give stories and their protagonists depth. And of course, the stakes always need to be higher for the protagonist, to make us care.

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!

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!

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.

Ashley Judd gives a remarkable performance in this film but there are lots of other reasons to see it. Indeed, the music is very good, and there is a CD soundtrack (I checked Amazon as soon as I came home).

There are many painful moments as an extended and frayed family tries to talk to each other, or avoid it. It's about being stuck in old patterns and being clueless about making changes, no matter how old the people are.

I know one reason the film got local buzz is because it was filmed here, but as someone who hasn't lived in AR long, I was just an average movie goer looking to see Judd in something that was not a highly charged thriller. Ruby in Paradise (1993) was the first time I ever saw her, and that film about how to survive when no matter what you do doesn't seem enough, showed her talent. Come Early Morning evoked the same feelings.

The whole project seems a labor of love, love of real people living ordinary lives and doing the best they can.