Movie Date

Saturday night Andy and I went on a date, our first in many moons (well, not counting our big anniversary dinner last month). The problem was, there weren't any movies that we were dying to see and that were playing at a convenient time/location to work in a dinner afterward too. We wouldn't have minded seeing "Body of Lies" or "Pride and Glory," but the logistics weren't right. We are eager to see the new Bond movie, but it hasn't opened yet. So, we ended up seeing a small, beautiful gem of a movie called "Frozen River." It won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize last year, and with good reason.

Melissa Leo, who is outstanding in this movie, plays Ray, a down-and-out resident of a small town in upstate New York, right on the Canadian border. As the movie opens, her husband has disappeared, "probably to Atlantic City," taking with him the money Ray had been saving to trade in their single-wide trailer for a double-wide. He also left her with their two sons to support on her salary as a part-time clerk at a dollar store.

Through chance events, Ray meets up with Lila (played by Misty Upham), who lives on the nearby Mohawk reservation. The two end up working together to make some cash smuggling illegal aliens across the border. Lila has all the connections, but Ray has the white face behind the wheel and will thus never get stopped by a state trooper.

Leo completely inhabits the role of Ray—this was truly one of the most compelling performances I've ever seen. Lila's character reminded me of Marilyn from "Northern Exposure"—she had that same flat, stoic delivery and carriage. It works, though, and the chemistry between the two characters works too. They are just two women who are willing to take desperate measures to keep their families together.

"Frozen River" had a very limited release and is probably going to disappear from theatres soon, but I strongly recommend you rent it as soon as it shows up on DVD.

Oh, and then we had dinner. Nice evening.

Comments

[Elena]

Legal Seafood?

[Karen]

No, not this time -- although that's a good guess, because we very often go there after a movie. But Andy had been in NY last week and ate at Legal's there, so we opted for Aquitaine Bis in Chestnut Hill, which consistently serves a PERFECT steak frites. For Andy, that is -- I had halibut. Just wasn't in the mood for steak.

[debbie]

Thanks. We are always looking for good DVD recommendations and we never make it to the theater.

[TwoBusy]

My wife is a HUGE fan of their steak frites (although I think she prefers the original Aquitaine to the Chestnut Hill version).