Leaving Normal

I only saw 'Leaving Normal' because it was on Sky TV one night and there was nothing else on, so, I decided to watch it. I wasn't expecting much of it, as most things on that last at night are usually things that are too boring to be on earlier. However, I was very surprised by it, I actually enjoyed it. It's a story about the friendship between Darly and Marianne, who met at a bus-stop after Marianne ran away from her abusive husband. Darly is going to Alaska and decided to take Marianne along with her, sort of like a daughter figure. Marianne always likes to look on the bright side of things which leads her into bad situations. Darly is assertive but good-natured, she means well. And because she was so witty it made the film much more enjoyable. The first half of the movie is a road-movie, Which consist of the troubles they face of trying to get to their destination, and when they get there, they want to leave, at least Darly does. It's a light-hearted drama and all ends well. Worth a watch.

It dumbfounds me why anyone thinks that two women driving off a cliff is what women should do to have a good time. I find anyone who approves of 'Thelma & Louise' comatose? Moronic? I mean.. I mean..what is wrong with all of you who like that movie?

'Leaving Normal' results in no deaths. In fact, it brims with life. There are a number of wonderful surprises that a viewer won't anticipate. The women have the chops to see things through to a better life, even against the odds. Happy happenstance plays a big part.

The cinematography is superb. The actors were perfectly cast and expertly directed.

I saw Leaving Normal during its original theatrical release and watched it again recently after purchasing the film on DVD. My friends and I really enjoyed this film when we saw it back in 1992, when we were big into early 90s quirk with films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Gas Food Lodging, Simple Men and Surviving Desire. Leaving Normal fits quite neatly into this group of films. It also reminds me of one of my all-time favorite and most watched films, which also happens to be a story about an unlikely female friendship, Bagdad Cafe (1987).

It's difficult for me to assess Leaving Normal with any sense of objectivity. When I watched it again recently, I was overcome with a sense of nostalgia for the early 90s when I was in my early 20s and was yet to make some pretty dumb decisions with my life (it all turned out okay though). I don't think the film has aged especially well (I'm thinking about some shoddy matte paintings) and its quirkiness may just annoy some people, but it has enough to offer the casual viewer to be entertaining. If you are fortunate enough to be open to its sincere message about the universe having a place for everyone (if we will just let go and allow ourselves), then you may find that you bond with Marianne and Darly and all the offbeat characters they meet on their journey towards wholeness. You may then find that you make a space for this little film in your heart, like most of the other reviewers on this site.

The title, "Leaving Normal", is clever because it refers both to physically leaving the fictitious town of Normal, WY, but more significantly, leaving the "normal" state of existence. Christine Lahti is the former dancer and waitress who never progresses beyond that, and Meg Tilley is the abused housewife who has made a series of disastrous choices in her life. As Lahti decides to do something different, and heads to Alaska to re-claim her old, unfinished homestead, she gives Tilley a ride.

They are unlikely road buddies, like Thelma and Louise were. Lahti is funny, daring, scheming (gets $100 from truck driver then slips out the window of the ladies room) and world-wise, while Tilley is just the opposite and insecure with her abilities. Ultimately they bring out the better persons residing in each.

Along the way their car breaks down, they get a ride with another lady pulling a trailer, then they are given her car and trailer when a wealthy bumpkin asks her to stay and marry him. They work their way to Alaska and look up the property, where the unfinished shell of a house still stands, weather-beaten. Through a lot of posturing, eventually they both decide to stay, we see the house being completed in a time-lapse series of shots. Lahti decides to try and find her daughter that she abandoned in the local hospital 18 years earlier.

Both act well, but Tilley is a joy to watch. Her portrayal of the half-ditzy, insecure woman is just perfect. Makes me wonder, whatever happened to Meg Tilley? She hasn't made a theatrical release movie since 1994. Unlike Thelma and Louise, where they drive off Dead Horse Point in Utah at the end, the lives of these two women literally begin as this movie ends. Seen on the "Women's Entertainment" channel, a really good movie, doesn't always take itself too seriously, and has an uplifting message. We are left to wonder if Lahti ever finds her daughter, whether Tilley's trucker friend ever shows up again. Maybe they considered a sequel, but the film wasn't popular to warrant that.

No, there is no such place as Normal, Wyoming...except maybe on a psychological landscape. Leaving Normal is the story of an unusual journey and friendship. Meg Tilly as Marianne Johnson is a wide-eyed naif who has never made a good decision in her rambling life. Christine Lahti (now seen on ER) is a cynical cocktail waitress whose choices haven't been much better; together the two somehow cobble a relationship that enriches both, as well as some oddball others. They travel to Alaska, where each finally has the room she needs to build a life. You will probably find this movie in the comedy section of your video store, but it doesn't really belong there, even though some of the dialogue is HILARIOUS. Some nice cinematography, particularly the 4th of July scenes and the aurora borealis. The coffee mug motif is pretty cool, too. Will appeal to anyone who liked Thelma & Louise or Fried Green Tomatoes but wished the heroines of these would have been alive at the end. See it!