Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Get high on grass - the legal kind!", July 14, 2006
In tiny Ducktown, Tennessee, Daltry Calhoun's burgeoning sod enterprise is threatening to go bust when the teenaged daughter he abandoned 14 years ago and her mother pop up out of the blue. May, the mother, is terminally ill and wants Daltry to take care of their daughter after she has gone. Now Daltry must try to come to grips with suddenly being a father raising a child he doesn't know, while facing financial ruin.
Katrina Holden Bronson wrote and directed this leisurely-paced slice-of-life dramedy about a man living down his past and his smart, musically-gifted daughter, June. Daltry Calhoun also is about heartwrenching loss and about hope and a sort of redemption. The film is funny and touching, and tinged with an undertone of bittersweet sadness. Bronson draws out very mature performances from her actors. Knoxville is pretty darn good as Daltry. Nothing of his Jackass persona is seen here, but instead, the viewer is witness to a startlingly layered performance by the erstwhile wildman. All in all, he seems to be rounding out just fine as an actor. Elizabeth Banks (Seabiscuit, Spider-Man series) is beautiful and quietly effective as the dying mother. Juliette Lewis is warm, vulnerable and sweet as the woman who loves Daltry. But young Sophie Traub tops them all. She is an eye-opener and excels in her every scene. The picture's more about her than about her dad, so it's a good thing whoever picked her for the role has either an eye for acting talent, or just got very, very lucky.
I didn't even know this film existed until it was recommended by a friend. Based on how much I enjoyed The Ringer, I decided to give Daltry Calhoun a try. I'm glad I did. Yes, it's a tiny, unprepossessing picture. But it's got heart.
The special features are run-of-the-mill but nice: a film commentary by Director Katrina Holden Bronson and Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino, several deleted scenes with explanatory commentary, some amusing outtakes, and a "making of" featurette.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great little movie!, January 3, 2007
I've read a lot of reviews that said this was a bad movie. It wasn't--it was a great movie! It was nice to see Johnny Knoxville in a role outside of the one we're used to seeing him in in Jackass. He played a sweet guy. I like movies with happy endings, and I felt that this was one of those movies. I'd recommend it to anyone, especially if you're a Johnny Knoxville fan like me!
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Touching Film That I Thoroughly Enjoyed!, June 1, 2006
Ignore the critics. This is not a movie with a fast-paced agenda, but so what. It is a movie about personal relationships and love. It is a movie that is unpredictable and filled with things we can all relate to.
June, played by Sophie Traub, is a fourteen-year-old girl who is trying to get a grip on where her life is headed. Traub is an outstanding actress and steals the show with her amazing performance.
I found the dialogue, acting, and filming to be superb in this movie, so please ignore all of the people who are quick to shoot down this production.
Johnny Knoxville is not the star of this film, and I believe he does a great job in his supporting role. He plays it as real as it gets, a man who is trying to save his business while trying to connect with his teenage daughter whose life he has not been a part of for fourteen years.
I enjoyed just about everything in this movie, and I believe given a fair chance, you'll enjoy it too.
Give this film a shot. I think you'll find it a breath of fresh air among the stuffy choices in the DVD world.
See ya next review!
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