Leaving the Road
Leaving Normal was a slow moving and dull movie. Marianne's childlike demeanor drove me crazy, and Darly was the epitome of a cold hard bitch. While she did take Marianne under her wing (in a sort of way), she still used her and couldn't find the heart to be happy for anyone around her, because she was so emerged in her own repugnance. At times the film so so corny it was hard to take seriously, and so the theme was set when Marianne sang out her window while their van flew into the night sky. I don't feel like Leaving Normal tackled any new issues, but instead skated on the coat tails of Thelma and Louise, promising the adventures of two women on the road. Would I watch this film again? No, but it was good for a laugh nonetheless.
Of all the movies we watched this semester I would have to say that The Straight Story was my favorite. The reason I loved this film so much was because I felt that it really captured life in the rural midwest. Being from a small town I could relate to the different characters, and as embarrassing as some of them were, I thought that they were dead on. Alvin was such a likeable character that throughout the whole movie I was rooting for him. It was startlingly real at times, sad, funny, and heart wrenching at others. I will leave this course with a new found respect for the road, and the journeys that it can take us on.