Product Details

• Actors: Michelle Williams, Will Oldham, Will Patton, Walter Dalton, Larry Fessenden
• Directors: Kelly Reichardt
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Oscilloscope
• DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001EUSYIA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,013 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Wendy and Lucy" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Review

Michelle Williams is superb... in Reichardt s wise, deceptively simple tale. --David Ansen, Newsweek, on his 10 Best List for 2008

Williams gives a lovely a performance as a moviegoer could ask for. --Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

In the space of a few years, Ms. Reichardt has become one of the most interesting young American filmmakers --Manolha Dargis, New York Times

Product Description

Wendy & Lucy is a touching political road movie about an idealistic young drifter, her faithful dog and the wide-open spaces of the Pacific Northwest. Played by Academy Award-nominated actress Michelle Williams, Wendy is a down-on-her-luck girl who's hoping to turn things around for herself with a summer job in Alaska. On route to her new life, Wendy's car breaks down in Oregon and the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart. Gorgeously filmed in stark, luminous imagery, Wendy & Lucy addresses issues of sympathy and generosity at the edges of American life, revealing the limits and depths of people's duty to each other in our modern times. Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams stars this powerful drama from Kelly Reichardt, director of critically acclaimed Old Joy.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Succinctly and mourningly poetic March 2, 2009

By Rustin Parr

Format:DVD

Michelle Williams delivers a very understated performance as a down-on-her-luck Wendy, who brings her loyal dog, Lucy, along with her to a journey for a supposed prosperity. It is a very quiet and subtle performance that, Wendy, with little money and no dog food, and an incident which prompts her to lose Lucy, meshes along with her surroundings: a dry and monotone small town, where the sun shines to merely beat down the lumbering, sluggish skins of the inhabitants.This is a very important work, especially in light of today's economic situation: "You need an address to get an address, and you need a job to get a job." succinctly says the kind-hearted security guard who provides help to Wendy during her descent into financial and emotional ruins. "Wendy and Lucy", directed by Kelly Reichardt, emphasizes the many possibilities that are available to an individual by virtue of how everything could be wiped away by being in a little mishap that triggers a chain of unfortunate events, each worse than the previous ones. The dire circumstances that Wendy finds herself in may not be grandiose or explosive, but her plight is all the more heartbreaking and terrifying: just a few more dollars for a bag of dog food for Lucy would have made all the difference. Along with "The Wrestler", though this one is on a simpler and quieter scale, "Wendy and Lucy" is visual poetry that examines a broken and fragile character that perseveres through life's many disappointments. Very ethereal and melancholic; it is simply beautiful.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A heartbreaking portrayal of true suffering... May 21, 2009

By Andrew Ellington VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Sometimes simple can say so much, and that is the case with this independent gem. `Wendy and Lucy' quite simple tells the story of Wendy and Lucy, a young woman and her dog. Wendy is virtually homeless, sleeping in her car as she makes her way to Alaska where she feels her life will be better. Lucy is her faithful `yellow gold' dog who sticks by her side and proves to be the only sunlight in Wendy's life. The film opens with Wendy and Lucy walking through the woods playing fetch as a consistent and almost tranquil hum embeds itself in our ears and it is that simple imagery that tells us all we need to know about Wendy.

Without Lucy, she is lost.

The film doesn't have much plot depth, for it can be summed up in one sentence:

"Wendy loses Lucy and desperately tries to find her."

Trying to cast the film off as nothing more than that though is a shame, since despite the shallow plot points the film has such rich depth of character here. The real story is not Wendy's attempt to find Lucy but WHY Wendy must find Lucy. There is a statement on the back of the DVD that makes the accusation that the reason this film has an R rating is that censors don't want children to realize that people are lonely and that life is not always peachy. Well, honestly, this film is rated R for the F-words that are spoken (sure, there aren't a LOT, but there are more than 3); but I think that there lies some truth in that statement as well. We (and by we, I mean the general adult public) try so hard today to shield our children from pain that we don't prepare them enough for the actuality of that said pain. When they come face to face with the harsh realities of the world outside they may, sadly, be unable to cope with it. I'm not saying that allowing your children to watch this particular film is going to help them be better able to tackle life's eventual hard-times, but I do feel that more films like this need to be made, with a lighter rating (no need for the language at all here) in order to instill in children the need for a thick skin in this often grim society.

Life is not always peachy; in fact, it rarely ever is.

Michelle Williams is a revelation here, sinking so far into her character that she becomes in recognizable. The way her face contorts when she is hearing the worst news ever (just watch the way she crumbles with subtlety when she is hearing about her car) is just so soul reaching. She is the opposite of showy but she never fails to touch us. We understand why she needs to find Lucy because we can see in her eyes, in her mannerisms, in her voice that this dog is all she has left to hold onto. There are few films that require an actor or actress to carry every scene, and when that film comes along it takes a special actress to actually do just that.

Michelle Williams does JUST that.

The film is not going to be for everyone. With the simple plot progression some will find this boring, but that is a shame in my opinion. These small films are very important in getting to understand ourselves inside and out. `Wendy and Lucy' has been hailed as one of the best films of 2008, and I agree wholeheartedly. It is a story that will touch your heart with its honesty and sincerity. `Marley and Me' may have been a sweet and touching story of a family touched by the life of a dog, but `Wendy and Lucy' is an even more honest and poignant depiction of the deep-seated need for friendship and loyalty in ones life; even if it's from a dog.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple Story Packs a Punch May 6, 2009

By S.G.R. Black

Format:DVD

'Wendy and Lucy' is the story of a young woman who, while traveling from Indiana to Alaska in hopes of a new life, gets stranded in Portland, Oregon, and loses her dog, Lucy. It's a timely story of loneliness and sacrifice directed expertly by Kelly Reichardt and acted beautifully by Michelle Williams, whose screen presence is overwhelmingly vulnerable. While many may accuse this film of being too nuanced or too quiet to the point of boredom, I implore you to see it for yourself. It's not like this is a silent film. There is dialogue, and it isn't even sparse. Whenever there is no dialogue, the film is still involving all the way up to its heartbreaking final scene. I honestly had no expectations going into this film. I like Michelle Williams and thought it'd be an interesting film to say the least. I was wrong-so wrong-it's way more than that. There hasn't been a film that has made me sob, not just tear up but sob like a baby, in a LONG time, maybe ever. This is one film that will stay with you long after it ends.
So, do you have one hour and fifteen minutes? I know you do. Do yourself a favor and experience 'Wendy and Lucy.'