The shifting tones keep the movie both buoyant and firmly grounded, and playing out in a sphere pitched somewhere between the mythic and the muddy.
Overview
The rough-hewn boss of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member of his team from an abusive father.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
A tough rural drama by David Gordon Green that digs deep in all the right ways.
It's young Sheridan's Gary who makes the film work, with his mix of earnest ambition, stubborn courage and hopeful endurance. He gives "Joe" the honesty it needs.
A small-scale, expertly acted character study in which Cage plays an ex-con trying to make a quiet living in a backwater Texas town and trying, above all, to keep certain troublesome character tendencies in check.
What happens along the way isn't particularly surprising to those familiar with Southern gothic sensibilities. But if the path is predictable, the acting is not.
More films
Simon Birch (1998)
Comedy · Drama · Family · PG
Simon Birch and Joe Wenteworth are boys who have a reputation for being oddballs. Joe never knew his father, and his mother, Rebecca, is keeping her lips sealed no matter how much he protests. Simon, meanwhile, is an 11-year-old dwarf whose outsize personality belies his small stature. Indeed, he often assails the local reverend with t...
- Runtime
- 1h 54m
- Director
- Mark Steven Johnson
- Cast
- Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, Ian Michael Smith
The Butcher Boy (1998)
Comedy · Drama · R
Francie and Joe live the usual playful, fantasy filled childhoods of normal boys. However, with a violent, alcoholic father and a manic depressive, suicidal mother the pressure on Francie to grow up are immense. When Francie's world turns to madness, he tries to counter it with further insanity, with dire consequences.
- Runtime
- 1h 50m
- Director
- Neil Jordan
- Cast
- Eamonn Owens, Alan Boyle, Fiona Shaw
Whip It (2009)
Drama · PG-13
In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.
- Runtime
- 1h 51m
- Director
- Drew Barrymore
- Cast
- Elliot Page, Sarah Habel, Shannon Eagen
The Prince and the Pauper (1977)
Adventure · Drama · PG
Tom Canty is a poor English boy who bears a remarkable resemblance to Edward, Prince of Wales and son of King Henry VIII. The two boys meet and decide to play a joke on the court by dressing in each other's clothes, but the plan goes awry when they're separated and each must live the other's life.
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
- Director
- Richard Fleischer
- Cast
- Mark Lester, Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston
Appelsinpiken (2009)
Drama · Romance · N/A
The film is based on a 2003 novel by the same name, written by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder. The main character is the young boy Georg who one day finds a long letter from his deceased father. The letter tells, among other things, about the father's youthful love for the mysterious "orange girl" (appelsinpiken), and leaves a myster...
- Runtime
- 1h 20m
- Cast
- Mikkel Bratt Silset, Annie Dahr Nygaard, Emilie K. Beck
The Lorax (2012)
Animation · Family · PG
A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud
- Cast
- Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms
Home Makeover (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
When a social worker visits Gru’s house to assess its suitability for children, chaos ensues. Margo, Edith, and Agnes, along with the ever-mischievous Minions, scramble to give the home a makeover in record time. Their attempts to create a warm and inviting environment quickly spiral into hilarity as the Minions’ unorthodox methods lea...
- Runtime
- 5m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Kate Fisher
Orientation Day (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions embark on their first day of work, eager to prove themselves in their new roles. After watching a hilariously outdated 'Initiation Video,' three rookie Minions take on bomb-carrying duty. Predictably, their enthusiasm quickly spirals into chaos as they bungle the simplest of tasks. Packed with slapstick comedy and the Minio...
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin, Rob Huebel










Comments
Talk about the film with other members