This movie came very close to being an excellent offering. It has effective character development, good use of setting/scenes, a few well-thought out plot twists, and mostly effective dialogue. It was obviously not a glitzy production done on a huge budget, but that just adds to the charm of the film. So why not a higher rating? Too Cora-centric.
Of course, she is the main character, so it's no surprise that she's in the middle of just about everything that happens in the movie. But that's not the problem. Everything is portrayed from Cora's viewpoint. The other workers at the Dial-A-Prayer center where she must perform community service after vandalizing a church are not really shown as people, but as the caricatures Cora sees. The only one that seems to approach actual personhood is the woman in the next cubical who soon begins to commiserate with Cora's discomfort over the center's purpose and structure, let's her go for a secret smoke, and uses profanity.
Cora's father is shown as distant and her mother initially as repulsive(because she is living in denial about the marriage while tossing out platitudes whenever necessary to make it seem like everything is just fine) then as a pitiable woman. Even Chase (who tracks Cora down after speaking with her on the Dial-A-Prayer service) is portrayed at first as a creepy stalker-type, next as an insensitive creep, and finally as the guy that she's gonna be alright with because she believes in herself and him and somehow, someway, they're going to make it work! Sadly, many people will find this message inspiring without recognizing it's insidious nature. Truth is, we CAN NEVER learn enough, know enough, become skilled enough, or whatever to make our lives anything but a shambles. It's only when we get the focus off ourselves and onto the One who IS wise enough, powerful enough and compassionate enough that there exists any hope for any of us. So while Cora became a bit less self-absorbed toward the end of the movie, the hope that it tries to imply of a better tomorrow due to the burgeoning relationship with Chase is a cruel mirage. It's just another result of living a me-centric life
Of course, she is the main character, so it's no surprise that she's in the middle of just about everything that happens in the movie. But that's not the problem. Everything is portrayed from Cora's viewpoint. The other workers at the Dial-A-Prayer center where she must perform community service after vandalizing a church are not really shown as people, but as the caricatures Cora sees. The only one that seems to approach actual personhood is the woman in the next cubical who soon begins to commiserate with Cora's discomfort over the center's purpose and structure, let's her go for a secret smoke, and uses profanity.
Cora's father is shown as distant and her mother initially as repulsive(because she is living in denial about the marriage while tossing out platitudes whenever necessary to make it seem like everything is just fine) then as a pitiable woman. Even Chase (who tracks Cora down after speaking with her on the Dial-A-Prayer service) is portrayed at first as a creepy stalker-type, next as an insensitive creep, and finally as the guy that she's gonna be alright with because she believes in herself and him and somehow, someway, they're going to make it work! Sadly, many people will find this message inspiring without recognizing it's insidious nature. Truth is, we CAN NEVER learn enough, know enough, become skilled enough, or whatever to make our lives anything but a shambles. It's only when we get the focus off ourselves and onto the One who IS wise enough, powerful enough and compassionate enough that there exists any hope for any of us. So while Cora became a bit less self-absorbed toward the end of the movie, the hope that it tries to imply of a better tomorrow due to the burgeoning relationship with Chase is a cruel mirage. It's just another result of living a me-centric life