Movie with Abe: Trucker

Trucker
Directed by James Mottern
Released October 9, 2009

Truck drivers are usually relegated to tiny supporting roles in films, often as a passerby who offers crucial life advice to a lost protagonist or an unidentified drifter-like murder victim. Trying to anchor someone who spends their daily life on the move to one specific location is a tough thing, and that story can get lost in all of the traveling. Fortunately, “Trucker” is a compelling story with strong performances and a great script.

The heart of the film is Michelle Monaghan as hard-headed trucker Diane. Monaghan first burst onto the scene with a seductive performance opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and then had supporting roles in “North Country,” “Mission Impossible III,” and “Gone Baby Gone.” Her talents were most recently wasted in the entertaining but terrible action flick “Eagle Eye,” and it’s even clearer now that she does possess a great deal of talent. Diane is cut with the same toughness as Ana-Lucia from “Lost,” and lives a life of casual promiscuity while alienating nearly every person whose path she crosses. Looked at in terms of recent female-led independent cinema, she’s a character just as hopelessly not in control of the events in her life as Jenna (Keri Russell) in “Waitress” and Wendy (Michelle Williams) in “Wendy and Lucy.” Yet, unlike those women, she’s not determined to take her situation sitting down and wants to try to do the best she can under the circumstances.

“Trucker” is primarily about the relationship that develops between a mother and her son she’s never known. It’s different from most stories of parents who discover children they never knew they had since those films usually center on fathers unaware that a child exists. Diane clearly remembers that she had a child because she’s the one who gave birth, but it’s something that she’s chosen to discard and distance herself from in order to pursue a solitary lifestyle. It’s a movie that sees its characters transformed gradually like “Julia,” and it’s a terrific portrait of a family unit that comes together under surprising circumstances. Young actor Jimmy Bennett delivers an impressively mature performance as Diane’s son Peter, and the usually swaggering Nathan Fillion tones down his cowboy factor to play Diane’s one and only real friend. They’re a more fascinating family than many normative families, and their story is a sober but optimistic one. “Trucker” is a small independent film that doesn’t attempt to over-dramatize any of its characters or events, and as a result it’s a fine, nuanced glimpse of what it takes to truly influence someone with few, if any, attachments to anything that’s grounded.

B+

Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. It’s a bit early to be able to accurately predict the eventual Oscar nominees, but around this time, plenty of likely contenders are being released. I’ll be looking every Wednesday at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Until I begin my official predictions, I’ll be adding and removing contenders as their popularity, buzz, or reviews rise and fall. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section.

An Education
This highly-anticipated film premiered to strong reviews, propelling breakout star Carey Mulligan to frontrunner status in the Best Actress race. She should be considered a lock considering the impressiveness and charming nature of her performance, but there’s one thing that scares me: Sally Hawkins was in a very similar situation last year for “Happy-Go-Lucky” and, despite positive indicators up until the SAG nominees, ended up getting snubbed in the end. For the moment, I’d say that Mulligan will be in, and the film is a likely Best Screenplay contender and possible Best Picture nominee.

The Damned United
This sports drama stars two-time Oscar snubbee Michael Sheen, just itching to get his hands on an Oscar as his showier leads continue to be nominated when he isn’t. Here, he’s most certainly not second fiddle to any screen legend (like Helen Mirren and Frank Langella) and he presumably carries the whole film with his energy and wit. Nonetheless, it’s probably his most comic performance, and if he wasn’t getting in for one of his more dramatic roles, there’s no way this rather obscure British film will catapult him to the head of the pack in the Best Actor race. Perhaps at the Golden Globes?

Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story
If this is eligible in the Best Documentary Field, which it may be, it could place due to Izzard being relatively well-known and his Emmy wins for his "Dressed to Kill" special a few years back. I think Izzard is a bit less than traditional for Oscar voters, and the film as it is looks pretty odd with its style of filmmaking before Izzarrd even steps onscreen. I think it will have to really garner monumentally positive reviews to stand a chance.

Bronson
In a parallel universe, Tom Hardy’s deranged, terrifying performance as England’s most expensive prisoner might have half a chance at earning an Oscar nomination. In this dimension, however, he’ll barely be a blip on anyone’s radar and may make headlines only if he gets nominated by some tiny awards group or if anyone really, really loves the film.

Independent releases this week like Trucker and Peter and Vandy won’t get much Oscar traction, though the former bears some similarity to last year’s nominated “Frozen River,” though it certainly doesn’t have nearly as positive reviews. Four more films that were never made to be Oscar material: Couples Retreat, Free Style, Good Hair, and St. Trinian’s.

Be sure to come back next Wednesday for a look at this Friday’s theatrical releases and their Oscar chances. And remember to offer your thoughts on the chances for these films in the comments!