Working from a snappy but never snarky screenplay by first-timer Shelby Farrell, helmer Freeland (Drunktown’s Finest) maintains a strain-free upbeat energy yet keeps the action rooted in a strong sense of place and class.
Crow and fellow up-and-comer Ashleigh Murray make an infectiously spirited duo in director Sydney Freeland’s sophomore feature; exuberant but not obnoxious, their combined energy and ingenuity is enough to steam the film through some off-track script wobbles.
"Deidra & Laney” shows an easy flair for heartwarming comedy, character eccentricity and issues that sting but resolutions that soothe.
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn Kenny
RogerEbert.comGlenn Kenny
This reasonably engaging picture is being pushed as a kind of diversity-prioritizing indie comedy as opposed to the YA film it really is, for reasons not entirely clear to me.
Freeland is clearly having fun behind the camera, but broad and superficial performances mean the fun doesn’t always translate.
58
The Film Stage
The Film Stage
The not-so-subtle message of Deidra & Laney Rob a Train is one of self-confidence and self-actualization, and every single “good” character progresses fairly steadily towards their own version of this ideal, a decision that renders the eventual outcomes somewhat tedious in their predictability.