Blue Car Movie Review 2003

Impressive directorial debut by Moncrieff tells the story of troubled teen Meg (Bruckner) and her sad, beaten-down English teacher Mr. Auster (Strathairn). Meg's life has been turned upside down with the divorce of her parents. Her mother is distant and overworked, and her sister (Arnold, in an excellent performance) is self-destructive. When she finds solace in poetry, Auster recognizes and encourages her talent, which leads to an awkwardly closer relationship, skulkingly engineered by the teacher. Excellent script and direction, as well as stellar performances by Bruckner and Strathairn, allow the film to explore the situation without exploiting or judging. The characters are well-rounded and real, as is the dialogue, which makes the unfolding events that much more disturbing.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 96 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Teen Angst, Errant Educators, Coming of Age, Poetry, High School, Florida, Betrayal, Divorce, Single Parents, Brothers & Sisters

Screenplay

Karen Moncrieff

Cast

Agnes Bruckner, David Strathairn, Margaret Colin, Regan Arnold, Frances Fisher, A.J. Buckley, Sarah Beuhler

Cinematography

Rob Sweeney

Director

Karen Moncrieff

Music

Stuart Spencer-Nash

Other

Mark Ferrell, Toby Yates, Kristan Andrews, Kristan Andrews

Producer

Peer J. Oppenheimer, Amy Sommers, David Waters, Miramax Films