Famke Janssen in "Turn the River"
(Credit: Screen Media)
- Running time:
- 92 minutes
- Rated:
- R
- Cast:
- Famke Janssen -
- Rip Torn -
- Jaymie Dornan -
- Lois Smith -
- Matt Ross -
(0 ratings)
Big question: Does this low-budget indie, the writing-directing debut for actor Chris Eigeman ("The Treatment"), offer anything new to the world of down-and-out parents?
Catch it: No glamorized games here, just a bleak look at a bleak story of a woman trying to crawl her way up from a life of limited options. The material neither demands to be seen nor rewrites any books, but it avoids obnoxious sports metaphors and, without melodrama or hysterics, acknowledges the danger present when a child fears his home life as much as he fears bullies at school.
Skip it: If your grandparents, like Gulley's, also passed along advice like, "You gotta take the bitter with the lousy," and, "Eternity is a hell of a long time." Thanks for the pep talk, Grandma!
Bottom line: Its ambitions are slight, but "Turn the River" has enough competently acted, hard-living authenticity to rise above its less convincing indie siblings. Though if you're looking for a film that elicits a stronger reaction or a more passionate endorsement, stick with stories whose characters aren't so traditional and plots that work for dramatic urgency rather than wallowing in its absence.
Bonus: Gulley's dad (Matt Ross) gets surprisingly angry when he mispronounces the Jungfrau mountain in Switzerland. Who says parenting is more important than a comprehensive grasp of geography?
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