Customer Reviews

Blue Car [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Blue Car is a daring motion picture, and a brilliant one at that. It captures the pain and hardships of its character beautifully.

The film takes us into the teenage psyche of Meg, a gifted but emotionally scarred 18-year-old. Haunted by her father's abandonment of the family, she is neglected by her overworked mother and left to her own devices in dealing with her emotionally disturbed younger sister. Meg finds solace in writing poetry. Mr. Auster, her English teacher, recognizes her talent and steps into the role of mentor and father figure, encouraging her to enter a national poetry contest for which he is a judge. As tension at home escalates and Meg struggles to find a way to get to the poetry finals in Florida, Auster's role in her life becomes increasingly complex, and takes a dangerous turn.

The writing and directing are most certainly impressive, and while the entire cast give amazing performances, the real standout is Angnes Bruckner with her jaw-dropping turn as Meg. Bruckner is an amazement, piercing the heart without begging for sympathy. She delivers whatis truly one of the best peformances of the year. This small gem of a movie is the perfect setting for her breakthrough performance.

Blue Car is disturbing and powerful. It sucks you right in and refuses to let go, with shocking results. It is definitely an addicting, offbeat, and meloncholic romance that deserves to be seen.

The featured review quote on the cover of "Blue Car" compares the film (favorably) to "American Beauty." This tells me two things: the reviewer in question didn't watch the film very carefully, and the distributor didn't know how to market it. With films of this quality, neither of these things is exactly a rare occurrence.

"Blue Car" is an extremely unique film, and nothing on the front or back covers of the DVD does much to prepare you for it. I was expecting a completely different movie, and so the story wound up sideswiping me, taking me by surprise and leaving me an emotional wreck when it was over. It's an honest, unflinching film, with a clarity of feeling lacking in many more clever movies.

The film is the story of Meg, a suburban latchkey kid with a mother who's always working, a father who rarely makes the child support payments, and a younger sister who's a world all unto herself. Meg has aspirations to be a writer, to express herself and make her voice heard, and a teacher who might be willing to help her. If it sounds trite or predictable, then think again. My short description is where the movie starts out; where it goes from there will keep you watching irresistably the whole way through, and I guarantee you'll be surprised and moved by the end of it. Meg's story is that of many girls as they grow into their fondest wishes, full of the hope, the disappointment, and the rage that comes along for the ride.

The movie is told in strikingly simple, unflashy visuals and natural dialogue. The acting is all top-notch, with believeable, honest (I keep using that word) performances from all concerned, including David Straithairn as Meg's teacher, an actor who I always enjoy seeing. His role in particular will keep you guessing all the way to the end. The music chosen and composed for the film serves it well, enhancing and augmenting the scenes without distracting from them. Two Lori Carson songs are especially effective in this regard.

In a way, I can see why the reviewer compared "Blue Car" to "American Beauty" -- one element of both stories is superficially similar. But the core of the story of "Blue Car" is so completely different, and its overall effect so distant from that of "American Beauty," that I find the comparison rather disappointing. Anybody reading that review will be expecting something very different than the movie "Blue Car" turned out to be. "American Beauty" was encouraging the viewer to "look closer" and to think about what they saw. In "Blue Car," we are repeatedly entreated to "go deeper" and to face the feelings we find at the center of the film. "Blue Car" contains a raw emotional intensity and honesty that is extremely rare in modern film, and this alone makes the film a worthy journey to take.

Challenge yourself a little. Watch "Blue Car" and go deeper.

One of the great American myths is the one about choices, that there always is one. Another is that you can be anything you want to be with a bit of effort. Reality blasts the fairytales in "Blue Car."

This debut film from writer-director Karen Moncrieff is brilliant. Like the poetry of its lead character, the script is pared to its essentials. Even the score by Adam Gorgoni and Stuart Spencer-Nash is sparse, a melodic whisper with rock underpinnings. The family has been deserted by the father who drove off, we are told, in a blue car. Meg, played by Agnes Bruckner, walks the edge of adulthood long before she should. She cares for her troubled sister, Lily, and for her mother, Diane, an over-burdened woman trying to do the right thing without any help. Regan Arnold and Margaret Colin underplay the roles respectively. Arnold's Lily is a haunting presence throughout; she sticks with you long after the film is over. Colin gives a great performance as a woman coping with one setback after the other. She looks to Meg for support as she makes plans for a new job, vents at her when things go wrong, and attempts to parent the girl when crisis develops. Yet as much as they may long for it, the mother-daughter relationship has dissolved long ago.

Ultimately, this is Meg's story and we see the film unfold through her point of view. She copes by writing poetry. Her teacher, Mr. Auster, played by David Strathairn, challenges her to learn more about herself, to put more of herself in her work. Meg soon begins to look to Auster for emotional support. In winning his approval, she wins a place for herself -- but is it the place she wants to be? There are no easy answers.

Coming of age films usually work better for male characters with films like "Stand By Me." But female characters have improved with recent entries like "Ghost World," "My First Mister" and, now, "Blue Car." Moncrieff doesn't pull back from uncomfortable material, yet she doesn't sensationalize it. Meg's blue car may be an icon of despair, but it is also a symbol of hope. This storyteller knows how to drive.

Video and audio are just fine. Extras include deleted scenes. They all work and add to the story, but it gives you an idea of how Moncrieff edited her work to its essentials. Listen to Moncrieff's feature length commentary for an engaging retrospective on how the film was made.

Meg (Agnes Bruckner) is a depressed teenager caring for a troubled younger sister and a neglectful, selfish single mother. When her teacher (David Strathairn) notices her poetry talents, Agnes is given the self-esteem she so sorely lacks. The well-written plot follows Meg and Mr. Austers' relationship slowly develop in a cautious manner. When Meg is encouraged by Mr. Auster to enter a poetry contest in Florida, her enthusiasm is countered with family tragedy and personal emotional conflict. The two characters find subtle solace in odd things they have in common and the easy emotional support they give each other. These are complex characters given real-life situations. The emotions are real and the script and acting never gives in to banality or cliché. It is a heart-tugging treat to see the growth occur in every character, although at different levels and speeds. The conclusion is so full of honesty; it's difficult to blame anyone for their human follies in this melancholy piece of Americana. Writer-Director Karen Moncrieff's first feature film is marvelous.

Note: The deleted scenes don't add much to this DVD, but the Director's commentary is extremely insightful and heartfelt.

I was disappointed with this film, although I do think it was well made with good performances. I think the real problem is the story. The plot, although probably very realistic, was obvious from the first time you saw the teacher. This story has been told so many times before it is practically urban legend for coming of age girls. I was frustrated that nothing new was brought to the story but rather just a very well made version of an old story.

I feel bad for David Strathan he always plays these type of parts and the scene where he and his student hook up was downright creepy. I felt like the story took a bit of a detour here in being true to its characters and became a tad ABC afternoon special.

I was also annoyed that the writer chose to make the wife a drunk, I suppose so we would have some sympathy for the teacher but in the end the movie backtracks on that. Must the other woman be somehow defective for a man to stray? That was an annoying aspect.

Blue Car is a small little indie film that is short in length, and has no action, excitement, or mindblowing climaxes.It is however very well acted,sharply written, and quietly strong.

The plot is as simple as they come.Meg (Agnes Bruckner) is a quiet,lonely 16 year old girl who dreams of being a poet.She lives with her stressed single mother(Margaret Colin), and her emotionally damaged younger sister.Her life is bland and rather joyless.Enter Mr. Auster (David Strathairn), Meg's English teacher who regognizes Meg's blossoming talent, and sympathizes with her lonliness.In Mr. Auster Meg finds comfort and a mentor, and needless to say their relationship develops into something more than just a student teaCher interaction.

Like I said before this film is very short, and despite dealing with sadness and tough subjects Blue Car never gets melodramatic or overwrought.It had a tight script which held everything together well and great acting all around.Agnes Bruckner is very,very good in her lead role.Subtle and quietly intense,sullen and full of angst-she nails this role and captures your heart without ever milking for sympathy.I'm still wondering as to why she hasn't gotten more acclaim-she's a very talented young actress.David Strathairn was perfect in his role.Strathairn is a smart enough actor to give his character enough dimension and complexity that you aren't able to completely hate him in moments that you should.And Margaret Colin, as Meg's mother was just great as the weary mother.All the acting felt very natural, and understated enough to provide the movie with earnestness and an honest quality missing in many films. The denoument was a little harsh, but totally realistic.And by the end of the film, despite it being realistic and not partcularly "feel-good", I did feel a quiet hope for our heroine.

Blue Car isn't going to change your life, but its a very fresh little film with great acting and a quiet honesty that isn't found in many films nowadays.Recommended.

Blue Car is no chuckle fest, this much is certain, but in its chilling realism, confident pacing, and expert acting is a sadness that has the exquisite beauty of truth, human truth. This movie does not have characters, it has people. Some you love, some you feel sorry for, some you despise; all are as actual as the last clerk who gave you change.

Meg, Agnes Bruckner, would seem to have more than enough dysfunction in her life to satisfy the minimum daily angst requirement of a high school student. Her divorced mother has both hands gripped firmly on the ledge and oscillates between neglect and rude intrusiveness. Her father is virtually out of the picture. Worse still, she is charged with the care of her mentally imbalanced younger sister, something between a chore and a trial.

Smart and sensitive, Meg is disconnected, with little in life to rely on. When her English teacher takes an interest in her poetry, and her, it introduces an unprecedented ray of hope into her life. Like Agnes Bruckner, who gives a flawless performance that is bravely open and giving, David Strathairn's performance as her teacher, Mr. Auster, is practically a master's class in acting.

Auster is no mere lech or predator; he is a weakling and emotional cripple who lives in a world where bad faith is revealed in layers. Too cowardly to seduce Meg, he must create an environment where she drifts towards him naturally. Because she is already so damaged, this process is painful to witness.

People never stop finding ways to betray and disappoint Meg, and the more it happens, the more tightly she clutches her book of poems, her trip to Florida, and the tender support of Mr. Auster, the one person who believes in her. But that is the nature of the blues. You don't get the blues when you lose something you don't care about. You get the blues when the only thing you have left, the one thing you knew you could trust and rely on, turns out to be a pathetic lie. How you respond determines whether you get the blues, or they get you.

Meg is a very brave young woman who knows more than she should have to know at such a tender age. Writer and director Karen Moncrieff is to be saluted for this gem.

I read the title for this movie on my satellite guide and thought, "What in the %$@# is this gonna be about?" Well, it was worth giving a try and definitely worth staying awake for.

Blue Car is the type of film that plods along slowly but gradually sucks you in, very much on the same level as The Sweet Hereafter and The Weight of Water, until you're denying even the most intense bodily urges to go to the bathroom - all for the fear of missing something.

In it, we quickly become fascinated with the lead actor in the film, one miss Agnes Bruckner, who plays Meg Dunning, the older of two sisters in what has become a dysfunctional Dunning family. The parents have been split for a while, and the mother is raisng her two blonde haired daughters while scraping by on end's meat. Meg is an introverted holdout from a time when words probably meant much, much more. She loves to write, particularly poetry, and is consumed with newfound esteem when her English teacher, the soft spoken and quietly married Mr. Auster (David Strathairn), begins to take an interest in her writing. At first, his intentions seem pure but deep down, the viewer senses that something is thickening between the two.

Meanwhile, Meg is torn by thoughts of her negligent father, a man who leaves his daughter with the pensive memories of his blue car, and her younger sister who seems to be rapidly falling apart. Soon, courses of action are set in motion and the principle characters seem to act according to their own longings rather than adhering to the obvious warning signs that they seem to be fully aware of, but are unwilling to follow.

This film was amazingly poignant, with acting that will make many weep. The theme is all too real, and will uproot thoughts of the evil that resides in our world, and our own shattered pasts that we try so desperately to escape.

One last note: Agnes Bruckner should have won some awards for this. Unfortunately, she did not. Look for her in future films. She will be a star very soon if she continues to build on this performance.

"Blue Car" is a small, independent film that may be easy for audiences to overlook, but it's definitely worthwhile. Young actress Agnes Bruckner stars as teen-aged Meg. She's like many girls her age - her parents are divorced, she has too much responsibility caring for her young sister, and she's ignored by her mother. However, "Blue Car" isn't the clichéd story of an out-of-control, unruly teen. Instead, Meg is a talented and sensitive writer and generally a good person. However, her chaotic and lonely environment leads her down the wrong road. Desperate for attention, she becomes involved in a strange relationship with her high school writing teacher (David Strathairn).

The pace of "Blue Car" is somewhat measured and the tone is low-key, which may bore some viewers. However, the plot was unpredictable enough to maintain my interest. Also, the rather naturalistic acting is solid and adds a great deal to this small film. First time director, Karen Moncrieff (best known for acting on several daytime soaps), also wrote the film, and she shows a great deal of talent. I hope that she gets the opportunity to direct again. Overall, "Blue Car" is an above-average and enjoyable indie film.

I'm surprised that other reviewers found this movie boring or slow-moving. While it's true that there's relatively little "action" in Blue Car, the story moves along briskly and at no point did I feel like I was waiting for something to happen.

The strength of this movie is in its authenticity. The main character, Meg, looks and behaves like a teenage girl overwhelmed by her circumstances, generally confused by everything around her, and constantly on the verge of flinching in fear of being hit by life's next big event. The crush that she develops on her teacher, the one person who seems to be making any effort at all to support her, evolves quite naturally. We can see what it is that she needs from him and how it gets mixed up (in her mind and in his) with his own needs and wants. As a teacher, I could totally identify with the way his role as teacher and his role as friend (and eventually romantic interest) became increasingly blurred. We'd all like to think that these things are totally separate and distinct, but the truth is that we're all far more complex than that. Different feelings get mixed together and it's not always possible to see what we're doing (and how it's effecting others) with total objectivity.

The final outcome of the movie is painful but is handled beautifully. Things may not have worked out ideally, but Meg has grown from the experience and is now ready to start taking care of herself. This film respects all of its characters and no one is there to play the hero or the villain. Even Meg's negligent mother, who I wanted to throttle several times throughout the movie, is just a person overwhelmed by the circumstances that have gradually developed around her.

This is the first movie I've seen in a while that just took my breath away. I recommend it highly.