Leaving Normal was not that Special
Leaving Normal was a movie that captured the intensity of a friendship that can develop suddenly and without cause between two women. Although I believed that parts of the movie were too cliched to be really enjoyable some portions of the film were, in my opinion, well done. The interplay between MaryAnn and Darly was perfect at times. For example when Darly reveals that she abandoned her baby shortly after its birth MaryAnn has to reconcile that new information with the little history she has with Darly. Their friendship is not based on a long history of trust and friendship. That means in one way their friendship is fragile. But this move ends up demonstrating that their friendship is the most important thing they have and the most certain thing that they trust about themselves -- that they are there for each other even when the rest of the world does not care.
My favorite film this semester was Little Miss Sunshine. I thought it painted a wonderful picture of the way American families can be dysfunctional and beautiful at the same time. The characters int he movie were not successful representations of what society expects of "dad" "mom" "grandfather" and "daughter." But the characters were so full of life and desire and desperation that they were lovable and worthy of respect despite their faults. That is an important message to send. At the same time the movie was a lot of fun.