MOVIE REVIEWS

_**Moving road flick in Louisiana about three outcast strangers seeking… a home**_ Three strangers meet in post-Katrina Louisiana and travel across the state to New Orleans. The group consists of a 15 year-old girl (Kristen Stewart), a geeky teen who wants to be her boyfriend (Eddie Redmayne) and a mysterious older man (William Hurt) whom the other two learn more about as the trip proceeds. A fourth character is the woman living on the shore who the man longs for (Maria Bello). "The Yellow Handkerchief" (2008) is a modest drama/road movie with quality actors and a story about three outcasts looking for love and a home while one of them desperately needs redemption. It smacks of real life and leaves you with a good feeling. Yes, it’s mundane, but it effectively shows how ordinary people and their stories are more interesting than the most overblown effects-laden extravaganzas. Look no further than the simple staring contest between the characters played by Stewart and Hurt. It succeeds where the similar “My Own Love Song” (2010) drops the ball. Shooting took place in February, 2007, when Stewart was almost 17. I’m not a fan, but she looks fine and does a great job. The film runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot in Louisiana. GRADE: A-

Hmmm. I'm not really sure what the point of this road trip movie is. It starts off with the unlikely scenario of "Gordy" (Eddie Redmayne) sitting in his convertible when he is joined by complete stranger "Martine" (Kristen Stewart) to whom he has already taken a bit of a shine from afar. He's probably best described as inept, she carefree - but nervous of being alone with this fellow. Luckily, as the heavens open they alight on fellow traveller "Brett" (William Hurt) who has just been released from prison and so the three of them embark on a drive that opens up their personalities to each other (and us) for a bit of scrutiny. To be fair to Redmayne, he at least appears to be doing some acting here - the other two seem as disinterested in this whole enterprise of encouraging these three erstwhile rudderless individuals to some purpose as I was becoming. Things become more complex when we discover a little more about why "Brett" was in jail, and we meet his wife "May" (Maria Bello) but I was still wondering why anyone thought this would make for an interesting film. The characters seem created and contrived to force a story upon us - there's not much natural, or plausible, about this developing scenario. There is some nice photography of a luscious Louisiana but otherwise this is more of an "Elsie & Sid" than a "Thelma & Louise". Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but this did nothing at all for me, sorry.