TUMBLEWEEDS
SYNOPSIS:
Mary Jo (Janet McTeer) has had little luck with men. She’s been married several times
and runs whenever things turn bad - as they inevitably do. When her latest man becomes
abusive, she heads out on the road again with her daughter Ava (Kimberley J Brown). After
her plan to hook up with an old boyfriend backfires, she agrees to Ava’s request to
head for California. On the way, she meets a friendly trucker Jack Ranson (Gavin
O’Connor) - and soon runs into him again in San Diego. There she finds a job with a
security company and moves in with Jack. But she also finds herself the subject of
attention from co-worker Dan Miller (Jay O Sanders).
"A towering (and Oscar nominated) performance from Janet McTeer buoys Tumbleweeds
above the commonplace. The story, about a parent and child going on the road and coming to
a new understanding of each other, has been done several times before - from Paper Moon to
Anywhere But Here. But British actress McTeer provides enough ballsy bravado mixed with
tender vulnerability to make it a consistently interesting production. Her down-home
accent is perfect and she dominates the film in the same way Julia Roberts dominated Erin
Brockovich. That said, Tumbleweeds is hardly groundbreaking stuff. Although McTeer’s
Mary Jo is a fine study in irresponsibility, none of the characters are very original,
from the precocious youngster (played with gusto by Kimberley J Brown), to the assorted
losers with whom Mary Jo associates until she finds that one special man. Director Gavin
O’Connor (who plays Jack in the film) wisely opts to keep the focus on Mary Jo; but
this leaves precious little opportunity for any of the other characters to be strongly
developed. As a result, they end up being little more than one-dimensional. And I was
rather disappointed with the unsubtle use of Shakespeare as a plot device. The outcome of
the story is a no-brainer but the film looks great thanks to the sunny San Diego
locations. Notwithstanding its problems, I must say I enjoyed Tumbleweeds as a pleasant
diversion - one helped along immensely by McTeer’s superb performance."
David Edwards
"Tumbleweeds' synopsis may not sound like much is going on, but rest assured, it's rich in earthy human drama, non-judgemental conflict, and wonderfully downbeat humour. It's not a hotheaded Thelma and Louise road movie, nor despite the thematic similarities a feel-good Anywhere But Here mother-daughter melodrama. Rather, Tumbleweeds drops the stereotypes and character judgements to present a fresh, tender, and unclichéd journey of mother-daughter dysfunction. That's probably because writer Angela Shelton has based the story on her own unpublished memoirs, with a little scripting help from her ex-husband and director Gavin O'Connor. The two have forged a remarkably telling drama of the human spirit, of how old habits die hard, and how new starts need to be given a real chance to mature. Tumbleweeds is episodic, but as a character-driven movie it hits the mark through an unforced warmth and dynamic central performances. Janet McTeer soars as the sultry Southern matriarch, exuding all the primal sexiness you can muster from a middle-aged mother, and newcomer Kimberly J. Brown is a natural, never forcing herself through scenes. Whether they're practicing lines for Ava's role as Romeo or winning fart contests in the local diner, they seem to be having the times of their lives. To weight the film with a little more heady drama, Jay O. Sanders chips in as Mary Jo's smitten co-worker and Ava's self-appointed Shakespeare instructor. All the elements seem to combine effortlessly here, and although the female road movie or the mother-daughter sagas are growing in numbers, Tumbleweeds will roll right on by without a care. Take a look - it deserves your attention.
Shannon J. Harvey
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 1
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 1
TUMBLEWEEDS (M)
(US)
CAST: Janet McTeer, Jay O. Sanders, Kimberly Brown, Gavin O'Connor, Laurel Holloman,
Lois Smith
DIRECTOR: Gavin O'Connor
PRODUCER: Greg O'Connor
SCRIPT: Angela Shelton, Gavin O'Connor
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dan Stoloff
EDITOR: John Gilroy
MUSIC: David Mansfield
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Bryce Holtshousen
RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: September 7, 2000
VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow Home Ent
VIDEO RELEASE: March 28, 2001
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