Customer Reviews

Leaving Barstow

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I finished watching Leaving Barstow for the first time all I wanted to say to everyone involved in the film was.........Thank You. And then I went off to find a box of Kleenex.

The story of a boy, Andrew, with bigger dreams stuck in a small town trying to find the strength to go, may seem all too familiar to some, but that does not mean that this film feels old or tired or off-putting in anyway. Quite the contrary. First time writer and star of the film Kevin Sheridan has put together a script and a performance with quiet heart. (Only about 25 when he did this, he is definitely one to keep an eye on) Michele Clunie infuses Andrew's mother Sandra with characteristics that make the audience both loathe and feel sorry for her at the same time, aptly showing us where the core of Andrew's struggle to stay or go lies. And Peter Paige's direction depicts Barstow as washed out and lifeless while at the same time he keeping his actors in sharp but quite focus, thus allowing them to shine and be the true center of this lovely little character driven piece.

So, after viewing the film a second and a third time, I would still like to say "thank you" to everyone involved with this film for proving that a great film comes from the heart and not necessarily from the size of your production and marketing budget.

This had a great run on the festival circuit over the last year, but sadly remained mostly an undiscovered, indie gem. Well worth your time and money to discover it for yourself.

A boy, his dream, a choice. Good, believable characters and just enough tension in this well-paced film. A fine job of cinematography and the music is exceptional. Good show all 'round!

Leaving Barstow is another independent film that will either inspire quickly or leave you cold. Chances are you will sympathize with the lead character, Andrew.

The movie is told from high school senior Andrew's point of view. The story is fairly straightforward; Andrew has to grow up for many reasons. He is dealt a hand of pretty bad cards, and is forced to do his best at being happy. One after another we meet the people that affect his life, his physics teacher, the midnight radio DJ, his best friend Carlos, his mother and her boyfriends, the restaurant owner, and, the very important, Jenny. They all have a strong impact on Andrew's life, positive and negative.

I felt a strong sense of claustrophobia, imprisonment, and resignation in this film. Andrew lives with his single mother, battling her own demons. There is an implied almost sexual relationship between Andrew and his mother, adding to Andrew's sense of being trapped in Barstow, California. She became pregnant very young, chose to keep her son, and the father is not around. She happens to like and date boys close to her son's age. Andrew and his friend Carlos keep close to each other at school; they are not part of any popular crowd. Carlos is a great friend; he wants nothing but good for Andrew.

This was not an expensive production. There are only a few spartan sets. This film is a character study, and the sparseness is appropriate. The acting was quite good. Oddly the one character that I did not care for and felt was over acted, was the one actor with a long television resume, the physics teacher played by Steven Culp. The mother was just exactly the right level of self indulgence. Andrew played by Kevin Sheridan (mostly television career, Veronica Mars and American Dreams) was remarkable. He played the introverted, quiet, intelligent, kind high school boy.

Pacing was just about right. The director knew when to move along quickly and leave out the 100 details most directors would include; and when to include the subtle detailed moments. The ending is wonderful, up until the last 10 minutes, I still didn't know if Andrew was going to leave or not; but I wanted to shout at the screen, get out of there Andrew. Camera work is simple and competent. There is a grittiness to the film, physically and thematically. Dialog is well recorded and clear.

The film is not rated, and is probably somewhere between PG-13 and R rated. It seems appropriate for all high school students. Given the noises from the mother's bedroom and discussions about [...] and erections, younger viewers probably shouldn't see this film. I don't remember any nudity. There is no violence. And I don't remember much strong language. It's the themes that make this a more mature film.

The DVD is sparse. The bonus features are a series of interviews. The first with the director Peter Paige is decent; he does give some insight into why he took on this project. The second is with Kevin Sheridan, who played Andrew and was the script writer. This surprised me, I really liked the fact that Kevin wrote this movie and then stars in it. The last interviews are not good. An interview with Michelle Clunie who played the mother, is just so bad. The interview is an actress telling us all about the character she plays, it is not at all revealing, nothing I didn't learn while watching the film. The last piece is What's it Like Working with Peter? Just plain lame, we love him, he's the best director...

I liked this movie very much. Aside from the physics teacher, all the characters were believable. The story was carefully built, and I cared about what happened to Andrew. The cover art may have you think this is a road picture, it is far from that. This is an intimate story of a boy that is forced to grow up too fast.

The movie was cool. It would have been better if the film people showed more of Barstow: Del Taco, the Sports Park or Dana park, Old Mall, Skyline Drive-In Movies & more of East Main Street.

I grew up in Yermo & Barstow. No real opportunities there. A lot of drugs & the town's not improving. I was happy when I left. The only things I miss about the high desert is my family, clean weather & Del Taco.

Every now and then I come across a gem of a movie by pure accident. I was just searching through the schedule for Showtime on TV earlier this week and ran across this movie. I read the short synopsis and decided to record it. After watching it tonight, I'm surprised at how good the film was. Leaving Barstow (2008) is an indie written by young actor Kevin Sheridan and directed by actor Peter Paige. I think what's so appealing about this movie is how low key the production is. It looks and feels like everyday life in a small crappy town like Barstow. But the movie is very well written, acted and photographed. So while it may look like a low budget indie, it doesn't have the often times lame story and acting of a low budget movie.

The story is simply about this 18-year old guy named Andrew who is finishing high school in a dead end town. He's living with his widowed mother Sandra, who's dating a 22-year old country-rock singer named Cody. There's obviously some tension between Andrew and Cody since Cody is only a few years older than Andrew and he's sleeping with Andrew's mother...on the other side of Andrew's bedroom wall. But the real story here is Andrew figuring out what he wants to do with his life. Does he stay in this nowhere town and keep his lonely mother company? Or does he leave for college and start a new life for himself?

Actor Steven Culp, who I absolutely loved in Thirteen Days (2000), plays one of Andrew's high school teachers. It's a small supporting role, but he packs a punch with his few minutes on screen. This film was obviously overlooked and poorly distributed when it came out two years ago. But I'm certainly glad to have discovered it on Showtime this week. If you like character-driven dramas, then check this film out on Showtime or DVD. I think we can all relate to the characters in this movie from some period in our lives. The photography was well done, with some cool compositions...even though there seemed to be a lot of "ass" shots and blurry montages. I give the film 3 out of 5 stars. It's a good late night flick.

I really liked this film. It resonates something special and captures the bittersweet side of the soul as we come of age.
The minimalist. music is oddly fitting and touching.
I've been through places like Barstow many times and I can relate to the location. Towns like this reek of thoughtless despair and hollow resignation. A gray, greasy, dishwater existence in the midst of smoky diesel fumes and suffocating dust.
No one gives a second thought to the landscape: The ugly skeletons of endless iron security bars laden with attacking rust and the unstoppable peeling of cheap paint and even cheaper application.
Most folks passing through fill up with regular, grab a fast food combo and disappear into the hazy sunset, glad to be leaving and in no hurry to return.
This is a town stuck in endless dusk with little hope for daybreak and the director knew precisely how to capture these sentiments.
One viewing on IFC and I had to own a copy. Well worth revisiting those shades of misty gray.
Hollywood films gives us escapism.
Indy films show us what we are escaping from.
This is a movie made on a shoestring budget that has some true meaning. It's void of Hollywood trappings. Real life told with a heart.
A film for your quieter moments.

Leaving Barstow does absolutely nothing particularly flashy. I mean, it's not a film stacked with special effects, wild storyline twists, or anything of that nature. Instead, what makes Leaving Barstow succeed is the fact it tells such a simple, likeable story.

In fact, another reason the movie is so great is the way many of us can probably relate to the young teenager who plays the main character.

He desperately wants to leave home (and town altogether) but the love he has for his mother and his friends (and a girl he meets at a restaurant where his mother works) makes leaving a VERY difficult decision. How many of us were in the same situation at some point in time? Most of us were.

My favorite part of the storyline are the scenes showing the teenager trying to deal with his mothers new boyfriend. The boyfriend is seriously only a few years older than the mothers son, haha. This means the son has a serious problem with him and constantly questions his every move.

Anyway, the atmosphere is exceptionally quiet and the storyline is definitely on the simple and straightforward side, but none of that interferes with the amount of enjoyment this movie supplies to the viewers. You will understand every single event that takes place (well, except maybe the part dealing with the school teacher who suddenly dies- I think this part of the story could have given us more because I was curious what really happened there).

Anyway, the acting is solid, the storyline is enjoyable, and the film just works. I like it.

BEING SOMEONE WHO GROW UP IN BARSTOW SINCE 1959 I CAN IDENTAFY WITH THE CARECTURES IN THIS FILM.INFACT THAT TOWN HAS BECOME WORSE AND BELIVE LIFE IS PROBLEY HARDER TO THE OLD TIMERS AS THE YEARS GO BY. THANK GOD I MOVED TO CHEWELAH WA.