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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Drama Director: James Mottern |
Sometimes moviegoers will see a movie that they will hope never ends because it is such a great film, but other times a film is sad bad
that those in the theater can’t wait for the credits to roll, but usually there is still an hour of film left before that occurs. However, there is
very rarely a case when a film ends just as the viewer is starting to grow tired of it. This perfect moment occurs in “Trucker,” a film by
first time writer and director James Mottern, who started off by casting two actors who bring his story to life. Both of them show that they
are gifted actors who only needed a chance to reveal their amazing talents, which is typically what many must do in these difficult times.
Diane Ford, played by Michelle Monaghan, is a trucker who just paid for his own semi-truck. She is in her thirties, promiscuous, cold
loner that drinks a lot. She left her son Peter, played by Jimmy Bennett, with his father, played by Benjamin Bratt, soon after he was
born. She has stayed away from him because she doesn’t like kids, or men for that matter, although she continues to use them for
what she needs. Her best friend of four years, played by Nathan Fillion, is Diane’s drinking friend but isn’t someone that she has ever
slept with.
When Len gets sick with colon cancer, he has been living for years with Jenny, played by Joey Lauren Adams, who now needs time to
care for Len. Now it is up to Diane to look after Peter while his father is being taken care of. Though she doesn’t want anything to do
with the child, she takes care of him after being convinced that it would only be for a couple of weeks. Though a lot of viewers are going
to expect to see a predictable film where the mother and son grow to love each other, they will be quite wrong with this film. In the end, it
actually ends up being almost the exact opposite.
While the story doesn’t quite run as predictably as many would assume, the storyline is still fairly easy to predict, considering that no
one in the film gets murder or some other major twist occurs. Diane is hard and tough and continues to stay that way through the
majority of the film. Her son is always angry and bitter and doesn’t change throughout the entire film. Viewers are going to be able to
sense this resentment through the fact that Diane never calls the boy “Peter” and Peter never calls Diane “mom.” Peter is continually
referred to as kid or dude, while Diane is continually referred to as “you.” They have to be together whether either one of them likes it or
not, and they both know this to be true.
Michelle Monaghan was on the brink of inhabiting the forever thankless role of the good looking and spirited female in action movies
about men, such as "Mission: Impossible III.” She was great in "Gone Baby Gone," and in this film she confirms her talent. Jimmy
Bennett, who was 11 or 12 at the time of shooting, has been good in strong projects before, such as "Orphan" and played the young
Captain Kirk in "Star Trek" in 2009, but here he shows a subtlety and tone that is remarkable. Together these two actors create an
abrasive relationship that skips all sentimentality, in a film that correctly ends when a lesser film would have added half an hour of bad
movie.
With that being said, Monaghan makes Diane seem to be sad rather than off putting. She works hard, values her independence, it
making payments on her tiny suburban home on an unpaved street and is living up to the bargain she has made with herself. The
movie at no points makes an references to her being one of the guys. It opens after a one night stand with a guy who tries to be nice,
but she doesn’t need a nice guy in her life. She also doesn’t need to be nice with Peter, but one thing she does do is that she is honest
with him and speaks to him directly. Her performance is amazing and seems to be very award worthy.
Peter is loved by his father and Jenny and he obviously hasn't been mistreated by them. He senses how sick his dad is and knows he
wasn't put with Diane because anyone wanted him there. He's been told things about his mother that is very true. He finds out that she
did leave him and Len soon after his birth and that she wants to avoid seeing him. He does say things that reveal that he knows of her
promiscuity, although he may not quite understand it.
What Mottern does with this film is lock these two characters in a story and sees what happens. Something has to eventually give way.
The supporting performances by Nathan Fillion, Benjamin Bratt and Joey Lauren Adams are precisely what is needed in the film which
are direct, open, have good tone and doesn’t feel like acting. They are good people, but very real people, with no illusions about life.
It is nice to see films that closely follow specific lives, especially when they don’t end with happy endings, because not all stories have
happy endings. This film doesn’t push its storyline on the viewers, but instead offers a realistic story. “Trucker” sets out on a difficult
and dangerous path, but doesn’t do anything wrong along the way.
that those in the theater can’t wait for the credits to roll, but usually there is still an hour of film left before that occurs. However, there is
very rarely a case when a film ends just as the viewer is starting to grow tired of it. This perfect moment occurs in “Trucker,” a film by
first time writer and director James Mottern, who started off by casting two actors who bring his story to life. Both of them show that they
are gifted actors who only needed a chance to reveal their amazing talents, which is typically what many must do in these difficult times.
Diane Ford, played by Michelle Monaghan, is a trucker who just paid for his own semi-truck. She is in her thirties, promiscuous, cold
loner that drinks a lot. She left her son Peter, played by Jimmy Bennett, with his father, played by Benjamin Bratt, soon after he was
born. She has stayed away from him because she doesn’t like kids, or men for that matter, although she continues to use them for
what she needs. Her best friend of four years, played by Nathan Fillion, is Diane’s drinking friend but isn’t someone that she has ever
slept with.
When Len gets sick with colon cancer, he has been living for years with Jenny, played by Joey Lauren Adams, who now needs time to
care for Len. Now it is up to Diane to look after Peter while his father is being taken care of. Though she doesn’t want anything to do
with the child, she takes care of him after being convinced that it would only be for a couple of weeks. Though a lot of viewers are going
to expect to see a predictable film where the mother and son grow to love each other, they will be quite wrong with this film. In the end, it
actually ends up being almost the exact opposite.
While the story doesn’t quite run as predictably as many would assume, the storyline is still fairly easy to predict, considering that no
one in the film gets murder or some other major twist occurs. Diane is hard and tough and continues to stay that way through the
majority of the film. Her son is always angry and bitter and doesn’t change throughout the entire film. Viewers are going to be able to
sense this resentment through the fact that Diane never calls the boy “Peter” and Peter never calls Diane “mom.” Peter is continually
referred to as kid or dude, while Diane is continually referred to as “you.” They have to be together whether either one of them likes it or
not, and they both know this to be true.
Michelle Monaghan was on the brink of inhabiting the forever thankless role of the good looking and spirited female in action movies
about men, such as "Mission: Impossible III.” She was great in "Gone Baby Gone," and in this film she confirms her talent. Jimmy
Bennett, who was 11 or 12 at the time of shooting, has been good in strong projects before, such as "Orphan" and played the young
Captain Kirk in "Star Trek" in 2009, but here he shows a subtlety and tone that is remarkable. Together these two actors create an
abrasive relationship that skips all sentimentality, in a film that correctly ends when a lesser film would have added half an hour of bad
movie.
With that being said, Monaghan makes Diane seem to be sad rather than off putting. She works hard, values her independence, it
making payments on her tiny suburban home on an unpaved street and is living up to the bargain she has made with herself. The
movie at no points makes an references to her being one of the guys. It opens after a one night stand with a guy who tries to be nice,
but she doesn’t need a nice guy in her life. She also doesn’t need to be nice with Peter, but one thing she does do is that she is honest
with him and speaks to him directly. Her performance is amazing and seems to be very award worthy.
Peter is loved by his father and Jenny and he obviously hasn't been mistreated by them. He senses how sick his dad is and knows he
wasn't put with Diane because anyone wanted him there. He's been told things about his mother that is very true. He finds out that she
did leave him and Len soon after his birth and that she wants to avoid seeing him. He does say things that reveal that he knows of her
promiscuity, although he may not quite understand it.
What Mottern does with this film is lock these two characters in a story and sees what happens. Something has to eventually give way.
The supporting performances by Nathan Fillion, Benjamin Bratt and Joey Lauren Adams are precisely what is needed in the film which
are direct, open, have good tone and doesn’t feel like acting. They are good people, but very real people, with no illusions about life.
It is nice to see films that closely follow specific lives, especially when they don’t end with happy endings, because not all stories have
happy endings. This film doesn’t push its storyline on the viewers, but instead offers a realistic story. “Trucker” sets out on a difficult
and dangerous path, but doesn’t do anything wrong along the way.
