Tumbleweeds
This is my very first film class, and unfortunately I'm not extremely well versed in the industry, however I enjoy watching movies and want to expand my horizons and hopefully learn lots of new things. When i thought about my favorite road film the only movies that were coming to mind were silly, cheesy ones such as Vegas Vacation and Crossroads, with the ever entertaining Britney Spears. However then i remembered a movie I saw a few years ago called Tumbleweeds(1999) with Janet McTeer. Although it didn't pop into mind right away, I would consider it my favorite road film because of the attention to detail and great actors. It is about a mom, Mary Jo, and her 12 year old daugther, Ava, who drive from place to place across the country escaping from Mary Jo's serial failed relationships. Nevertheless she continues to get involved with dead beat, often abusive men and uproots her daughter when things go sour. They drive and they drive...clearly Mary Jo feels safer on the road and for her it is symbolic of freedom without the threat of oppressive men. The road however takes a toll on Ava and they finally settle down in San Diego. One of the reasons I liked this film was that I felt at the end of the movie Mary Jo learned from her time on the road and begins to break the habit of choosing "bad boys"...she no longer feels she needs a man to be worth something.
(I'm not very computer saavy, so I apologize about the movie titles not being Italisized, but I couldn't find the italics icon. Help!)