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Blue Car

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Blue Car (2003)

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Reviews Counted:85

Fresh:69

Rotten:16

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: A cautionary tale that rings true.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexual content and language

Runtime: 88 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:May 2, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $397,645

Synopsis: Agnes Bruckner delivers an impressive, assured performance with BLUE CAR, an affecting coming-of-age drama from Karen Moncrieff. Bruckner is Meg, a beautiful teenager who is desperate to find... Agnes Bruckner delivers an impressive, assured performance with BLUE CAR, an affecting coming-of-age drama from Karen Moncrieff. Bruckner is Meg, a beautiful teenager who is desperate to find inspiration and guidance in her otherwise tumultuous life. At an early age, her father left her family behind. Now, there is only her edgy mother, Diane (Margaret Colin), and her increasingly aloof younger sister, Lily (Regan Arnold). Salvation appears to arrive in the presence of Mr. Auster (David Strathairn), Meg's reserved English teacher who takes an interest in Meg's poetry. It isn't long before both Meg and Mr. Auster begin to take an interest in each other, and as an approaching national poetry competition brings the two closer together, deeper feelings emerge. But Meg eventually learns a painful secret about Mr. Auster, which shatters her impressions of the man, and threatens to push her over the edge forever. Moncrieff, a former television actress turned writer-director, turns her potentially formulaic material into ultimately moving entertainment. This can be attributed to the performances of her lead actors. As the conflicted Meg, Bruckner is a perfect blend of budding sexuality and adolescent bitterness. As her damaged teacher, Strathairn is at turns deeply comforting and crushingly evil. [More]

Starring: David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin, Frances Fisher

Starring: David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin, Frances Fisher, Regan Arnold

Director: Karen Moncrieff

Director: Karen Moncrieff
Screenwriter: Karen Moncrieff
Producer: Peer J. Oppenheimer, Amy Sommer, David Waters
Composer: Adam Gorgoni
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Oct 14, 2003

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Blue Car
  • Featuring the unforgettable performances of sensational newcomer Agnes Bruckner (MURDER BY NUMBERS), David Strathairn (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL), Margaret Colin (UNFAITHFUL), and Frances Fisher (TITANIC), BLUE CAR tells a powerful coming of age story in the provocative style of AMERICAN BEAUTY. Having been abandoned by her father and neglected by her overworked mother (Colin), young Meg (Bruckner) turns to her English teacher (Strathairn) for solace and inspiration. But the safety of what begins as a mentoring relationship turns increasingly complex and ambiguous as the tension in her family grows! Overwhelmingly acclaimed by the nation's critics, this powerful tale of sex and betrayal is certain to leave you with a lasting impression!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Blue Car

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    21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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    There's nothing particularly original about the plotline, but the execution is pretty good and may be enough to keep you in your seat.

    Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
    06/14/03
    Jean Lowerison
    Jean Lowerison
    San Diego Metropolitan

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
    06/14/03
    Matthew Turner
    Matthew Turner
    ViewLondon

    Moncrieff (who studied acting) has such a fine cast that she makes the nuances come together as the portrait of a brief, piercing time in peoples' lives.

    Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
    06/13/03
    David Elliott
    David Elliott
    San Diego Union-Tribune

    Worth watching for the coming-out party of Agnes Bruckner, a relative newcomer who shows her mettle with an extraordinary performance in this very ordinary tear-jerker.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    06/12/03
    Bill Muller
    Bill Muller
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    An impressive first effort from Ms. Moncrieff, but the eternal Aristotelian in me finds it depressing to watch characters always walking around in moral quicksand.

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    06/11/03
    Andrew Sarris
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's an incredibly strong debut reinforced by astonishingly good performances by all the principals.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    06/08/03
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Austin Chronicle

    An affecting look at one talented girl's efforts to survive in a world of confused and selfish adults.

    Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
    05/30/03
    Marc Mohan
    Marc Mohan
    Oregonian

    A well-intentioned coming-of-age film anchored by two indelible performances but weakened by an overabundance of drama.

    Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
    05/30/03
    Connie Ogle
    Connie Ogle
    Miami Herald

    The film is strengthened by the two leading performances.

    Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
    05/28/03
    Stanley Kauffmann
    Stanley Kauffmann
    New Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    We've seen this unhappy scenario played out many times before, but seldom with a better eye for detail.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Nicole Arthur
    Nicole Arthur
    Washington Post

    Certainly no feel-good flick of the summer. But it's always tough and honest.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Stephen Hunter
    Stephen Hunter
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's rare that a movie makes a viewer experience the psychodynamics of an encounter so profoundly -- usually theater is a better medium for that -- but Moncrieff has exceptional skills.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Carrie Rickey
    Carrie Rickey
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The strength of the movie -- which makes sure to show the pressures its characters face, so that all of them are weak but none of them is a villain -- is its recognition of the strength within Meg.

    Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    St. Paul Pioneer Press

    A diverting study in the rolling disaster of adolescence, gathering speed and danger as it goes.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Gary Thompson
    Gary Thompson
    Philadelphia Daily News

    The story is so well-acted and honestly written that after a while it stops bothering us that we know where it's going.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Eric Harrison
    Eric Harrison
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's that central dance between teacher and student that makes the movie both hard to watch and worth your attention -- a subtle waltz of power in which it's difficult to tell who's leading until too late.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    05/23/03
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    Incorporates every stereotype of 'sensitivity' and 'angst' without ever approaching a genuine emotion.

    Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
    05/22/03
    Eugene Novikov
    Eugene Novikov
    Film Blather

    It's a writer-director's important debut and a giant leap to leading roles for a brave actress.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    05/22/03
    Jane Sumner
    Jane Sumner
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    As bitterness piles upon disappointment piles upon loneliness, Blue Car stalls under the weight of its emotional baggage.

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    05/22/03
    Jeff Strickler
    Jeff Strickler
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
     
     
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