Middle of Nowhere (2008) User Reviews

Satisfying Character Study

[corrosion-2 · 7/10 · 14 October 2008]

Middle of Nowhere is a touching character study given an extra resonance by pairing the real life mother & daughter Susan Sarandon & Eva Amurri, playing a mother & daughter. Susan Sarandon takes a back seat while Eva Amurri really shines in her role as Grace, the older of two daughters being raised by her mother after their father's suicide. While mother's attention is focused on getting her younger daughter to modeling school, Grace has to find a summer job to raise money to fulfill her ambition of going to medical school. She does get a job at a water park where he meets Dorian (Anton Yelchin) who has an unusual scheme to find money to get Grace to college.

This movie is full of real characters with whom is easy to identify and empathize with. The acting is great with Amurri and Yelchin the standouts.

Laid-back and authentic film about normal young people

[VisualAssault · 7/10 · 19 February 2012]

If you liked 'Blue Valentine', 'Half Nelson', 'Crazy/Beautiful' or 'All That I Love (2009)' you're certainly gonna like this one.

I wasn't expecting really much to be honest but gave it a try and what a nice surprise it was. Don't expect anything dumb or crazy, another stupid teen flick this is not. Just normal young (but very smart and reasonable) people who struggle to find themselves and try to do something worthwhile with their lives. This film is a pretty good definition of the so called 'Gen Y'. Everything is authentic and it is this film's biggest advantage. So if you're in your early 20's and want to watch a film about people like you, go ahead, you won't be disappointed.

Kudos to John Stockwell. I admire his way of portraying things in an unpretentious, real and laid-back fashion. He really understands this day's youth and should get more credit for it.

Good and Real Characters

[MikeyB1793 · 7/10 · 20 August 2011]

This is a good character driven film without any spectacular fireworks. It's about growing up - meeting new friends, dating, coping with parents, and some illegal activities; but its' certainly not done in a preachy way. Each of the characters has his own individuality and we see them work out their problems alone and together. So you can say that it's earthy- but there were a few times where it did become somewhat self-absorbed, however these scenes were never of any great length.

One of its strengths is that it never goes over the top. At one stage Anton Yelchin (playing Dorian) is beaten up. It would have been so easy for the film-makers to have fist-fight histrionics, but the film wisely refrains from this. The emphasis is successfully kept on each character's emotions. Apparently this was filmed in Louisiana, but hardly any accents were detected!

A drama that could have been better

[Gordon-11 · 2 July 2011]

This film is about a teenage girl who is trying to finance her college. As she does not get the support she needs from her mother, she has to find alternative measures.

"Middle of Nowhere" wants to cover a lot of emotions by having many subplots. It wants to tell a teenage girl's struggle financially, her relationship with her family, and also her romantic life. I think it wants to be too much, sometimes it is a touching drama about broken family dynamics, sometimes it is a drama about teenage romance, and sometimes it is an introspective, self searching drama. It ends up not being very engaging, and a bit unfocused. Even though the scene where Grace confronts her mother about the death of the father is very touching, it could have had even higher impact if the script was tighter.

Eva Amurri not quite a doormat

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 8 January 2016]

Studious Grace Berry (Eva Amurri) is denied financial aid for school because her irresponsible mother Rhonda (Susan Sarandon) ruined her credit history. Her sister Taylor (Willa Holland) refuses to lie to get a lawsuit settlement. She works at the water park and needs $12k by the end of the summer to pay for school. Dorian Spitz (Anton Yelchin) is rebelling against his rich family and forced to work at the park. Dorian convinces Grace to sell drugs with him. She falls for rich kid Ben Pretzler (Justin Chatwin). Dorian has a crush on Grace and Taylor is interested in Dorian.

Eva Amurri is not quite right. She's a little too old. Her character is suppose to be a doormat but Eva is never that as a personality. The pull of pairing mother and daughter is not enough to justify the miscast. The family dysfunctions are compelling but not what is done with them. The movie is building some big drama. The actors are all doing good work. The movie just never gets all there.

Great picture

[raulfaust · 7/10 · 27 May 2013]

I didn't know what to expect from this movie, since its visible lack of propagation. First, I highly congratulate this film for being so real; all the cast is pretty unknown and they surely do their work with professionalism and realism. Better than that, they chose actors that look like ordinary people, not perfect actors with artificial beauty and years of gym. Main story is reasonable and we feel connection with every character, even thought sometimes they act a little strange-- mainly the younger sister, who didn't speak a word until some point. Anton Yelchin has an evident similarity with Corey Haim, specially when comparing with his work in 1988's "License to Drive". There isn't a moment in this movie that we see overacting or lack of plausibility, which is another plus for the flick. It is also impressive to see how these actors express their feelings with nature, getting into the characters for real. All in all, it's a surprisingly GREAT movie, and I congratulate the whole team for such professional work.

Middle of the road, indeed...

[natashabowiepinky · 6/10 · 12 March 2014]

If you're looking for a classic 'slice of life' film, you've come to the right place. Middle Of Nowhere concerns the fortunes of a young girl hoping to attend college... only problem is, she's skint. In no small way thanks to her mother taking all her dough. So what better way to make up the difference than to become the driver for a teenage drug dealer? There are a whole mess of other problems besetting her too: The jealous little sister trying to act older. The man she loves lying about not being in another relationship. And the REAL reason your father committed suicide. Hearts will be broken, skeletons will emerge from closets... and could those tops get any lower?

Sorry... lost my train of thought there for a sec. This film, is a heart, a simple tale well told, with the cast giving it their all and lotsa dramatic scenes to nail down your interest. These people are not wholly bad or good... they have set goals in life that others may seek to challenge, but for the most part don't succeed in derailing. We like them, we want the best for them... and these are signs of emotional investment. In other words, the movie works. A modest flick, moderately succeeds. That's all there is to it, really now... 6/10

Learning Love Without Parental Model

[gradyharp · 9/10 · 17 July 2010]

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is one of those surprise films that appear to have gone direct to DVD - not because they are unworthy of theater showing but because they are thinking films rather than explosively entertaining/CGI/3D extravaganzas. The script (Michelle Morgan) is smart, the concepts are viable and refreshingly not overdone, the direction (John Stockwell) shows great respect for the talents of the actors, and the cast is as solid as could be assembled for a film about touchy subjects. The theme that is born at the beginning of this film and grows in importance right to the end is the parent/child conundrum: when is parenting adequate and what are the drivers for dysfunctional family units.

Grace Berry (Eva Amurri, in a very natural and focused tough role) explains to a college scholarship counselor (Sharon London) that she needs financial aid to begin her higher education to become a doctor, but though she is a brilliant student, the counselor refuses to award a scholarship because of Grace's exceptionally bad credit rating. Distraught, Grace challenges her mother Rhonda (Susan Sarandon) when she discovers Rhonda has used Grace's name to open credit cards and has spent them to the limit. Grace needs big money to attend college and her summer job at the water park in town is minimum wage only. Also working at the water park is the happy-go-lucky Dorian (Anton Yelchin) who flirts with disaster, having found an 'extra job' selling weed to the rich folks of the city. After a lot of patter Dorian gently coerces Grace into being his driver (Dorian has no car, having been grounded for misbehavior by his grumpy uncle who is serving as relief for Dorian's adoptive parents), and the two begin a quality friendship that fills emotional and financial gaps in each of their lives.

But the truth about Grace and Dorian's parents surfaces: Dorian was given up by his 15-year- old mother for religious reasons and has been placed with quasi-appropriate wealthy parents; Grace lives with the knowledge that her father committed suicide only to come to discover that the suicide was the result of discovering that Rhonda was (and still is) having an affair with his brother Bob (William Haze). Grace's discovery comes through a conversation with her Aunt Polly (Karen Bramen, in an excellent role for this new actress) and Grace's mother-favored younger sister Taylor (Willa Holland), and the revelation sets off a series of events that propels the story to an end. Yes, there are sidebars expected in stories of teenagers: Grace falls in lust with rich kid Ben (Justin Chatwin); Taylor rebels against her mother by cutting her hair thus ending her mother's obsession with Taylor's becoming a model and Taylor seduces Dorian; Dorian confronts his birth mother; there are fights where Dorian is injured and finds himself alone without family support. But without a sugarcoated finale, the film ends quietly, affirming the importance of friends - a kind of love than can replace gaping holes in family relationships.

The movie truly belongs to Eva Amurri who proves she is becoming as fine an actress as her mother, Susan Sarandon. The film also allows Anton Yelchin to demonstrate a much broader range to his acting than he has been given before. The entire cast is excellent. This is a coming of age story - with far more attention being paid to the adult end of the developmental spectrum.

Grady Harp

Definitely needs more attention!

[bluemoon-551-730881 · 9/10 · 5 January 2011]

This is a really beautiful, sincere film that deserves way more recognition than it's gotten so far. The story is down-to-earth; the characters are real people. This movie had perhaps the most realistic representation of teenagers that I've ever seen, in all their wackiness, insecurities, and surprising maturity. I was especially struck by Willa Holland's performance as 15-year-old Taylor: pretty without being overly sexy, immature but with emotional depth. The cinematography was elegant; a focus on the innocent play of water park guests gave the film heart. I encourage you to watch this movie; it will surprise you!

Slice of life

[imdbbl · 23 August 2009]

The story starts off with 18 year old Grace(Eva Amurri) being rejected a student loan due to a bad credit history. After her father died, her mother Rhonda (Susan Sarandon) took out credit cards in her name, maxed them out and didn't paid them back. Devastated by the possibility of not going to college Grace starts working a 4 dollar an hour job at Baton Rouge's water park. That's where she meets Dorian Spitz (Anton Yelchin), a 17 year old who is tired of having to meet his adoptive parents expectations and just wants to get away. Grace and Dorian bond very quickly and Dorian tries to convince Grace into going in business with him. Dorian's business consists of selling pot, mainly to rich kids. Grace is reluctant at first but she accepts the offer in hopes of making just the amount of money she needs to go to college. Along for the ride is Grace's 15 year old sister Taylor Elizabeth (Willa Holland)who is being forced into a modeling career by her mother. Middle Of Nowhere is an extremely well written indie and the direction is impeccable. Its a a very honest story that relates more to real life then most films do. The acting was superb, specially Anton Yelchin who delivered a flawless performance and considering some of his other work, he seems to be a really promising actor and on the rise. Overall, In The Middle of Nowhere is a great piece of work that combines several genres and feels like a breath of fresh air. One of the best indies I have ever seen.

8.5/10

Diamond in the Rough

[stanton-27 · 8/10 · 18 July 2009]

This was definitely a well acted movie. It had all the fixings; it made me laugh and even managed to make my eyes water. Sarandon is the household name, but Yelchin and Amurri steal the show. The story clearly revolves around them. They come from different worlds at first, but seem to come to an understanding after all is said and done. There are many different themes in this movie, and they all play a part in developing each character. However only the two main actors (Yelchin and Amurri) really have the chance to showcase their talents. Also, this movie made me realize that Yelchin maybe in the movie business for a long, long time.

Definitely worth a watch. Enjoy.

2nd viewing

[cekadah · 10/10 · 1 January 2013]

i watched this movie a second time recently and it is even more entertaining and compelling on second seeing!

there isn't much i can say here that hasn't been covered by the previous reviews on this page. praise is praise and i cannot praise this movie nor reveal anything the other reviews haven't competently revealed to the reader.

my suggestion is to just watch this story as it is made for people who enjoy great characterization, intelligent dialog, and a story you will naturally find yourself wrapped up into!

it's a shame good cinema gets ignored so in this country!

Solid indie film with a good cast and director

[lazarillo · 27 July 2012]

This is a surprisingly good movie about a recent high-school graduate (Eva Amurri) who's irresponsible mother (Susan Sarandon) has blown her college fund and destroyed her credit, so she gets together with a very moral but very misguided rich kid (Anto Yelchin)to deal dope in their "middle-of-nowhere" small town. A love triangle develops between the girl, her erstwhile "business partner", and her precocious, aspiring model younger sister (Willa Holland), but it is a largely unrequited one as she is uninterested in him and he resists the jailbait charms of her sister.

Eva Amurri is a beautiful and talented actress, if a bit long in the tooth to be playing a recent high school graduate. Willa Holland is an unusually beautiful teenager who has since gone on to work in European films like "Summer in Genoa" (as an even more sexually precocious youngster). She does a good job playing an aspiring underage model. It's nice to see Susan Sarandon playing a completely unsympathetic role like this. The real surprise though is Anton Yelchin who I usually find incredibly annoying even in movies I otherwise like like "Alpha Dog". Instead of wanting to kick his teeth down his throat as usual though, I actually kind of liked his character here (although strangely this is the second time he played a sympathetic drug-dealer--he had a very similar role in the more famous, but overrated "Charlie Bartlett).

A lot of credit also has to go to director John Stockwell. It's interesting that two of the more interesting and underrated indie directors today, John Stockwell and Keith Gordon, once appeared together as ACTORS in the very mediocre 1983 horror movie "Christine". Stockwell has come the closest to mainstream success (or, depending on how you look at it, selling out) with films like "Crazy/Beautiful" and "Blue Crush", but he does better I think with smaller pictures like this. I'd recommend this.

You can choose your friends but not your family

[tylerwalker18 · 8/10 · 1 January 2013]

Middle of Nowhere is a coming of age comedy about friends, family and the struggles that come along with that. We meet the protagonist, Dorian Spitz (Anton Yelchin) in the opening scene getting stoned. He is rebellious and witty, like Matthew Broderick in 1986. Initially I thought I was getting into another Charlie Bartlett which although I enjoyed, felt like the genre was a little worn out. I knew this was going to be different as I got further in. We soon meet Grace (Eva Amurri) who is at the loan office trying her hardest to sweet talk her way around thousands of dollars in credit card debt to get a student loan to go to college in the Fall. She blames the debt on her mother, Rhonda (Susan Sarandon), stating that after her father died her mother needed the money. We are then brought back to Dorian, his parents have high expectations that he feels he doesn't need to meet and this is presumably the motive for his actions. Dorian lands a job at a water park where he meets Grace and puts forth a great amount of effort to get to know. She needs money for school and he needs money to break off his dependence from his parents. Being without a vehicle he is forced to walk everywhere and buys a ride from Grace for $100. They make a few different stops and Grace finds out that he is selling weed and being the straight edge that she is drives off, leaving him at gas station. Grace later realizes that selling pot would be her best bet on paying for school. Grace and Dorian team up for a series of drug runs. Dorian meets Grace's younger sister, Taylor (Willa Holland) when they pick her up. Like Grace, Taylor also struggles with their mother. Taylor is being forced into starting a modeling career. Grace meets Ben Pretzler (Justin Chatwin)at the water park and they form a relationship of lust. Dorian is jealous because he begins to form feelings for Grace all while Taylor forms feelings for Dorian. As the story progresses, we find Grace, Taylor and Dorian struggling with family issues but forming a friendship through it. This is a drama-comedy about love, drugs, money, lust, suicide, family and friends. What looks like the formation of a nasty love triangle turns into a beautiful friendship between a lonely non- conformist and two sisters brought together by tragedy and angst.

flavor

[Vincentiu · 28 January 2013]

a nice film. about a boy, a girl, theirs life and families. good story, good cast. and the flavor of reality in a special atmosphere. nothing complicated, all - honest and clean. sure, axis are Susan Sarandon performance and charming Anton Yelchin manner, not different by usual way, to do his character as collection of sparkles. but the film gives more than a good show. a lot of questions. a bitter air. crumbs of hope. funny moments, in a form, a lesson about life but not very serious. because it is only a honest story. without great ambitions.without desire to convince. only in indie clothes. and this is its basic virtue.

Coming of age drama filmed in and around Baton Rouge.

[TxMike · 20 January 2011]

Can you believe John Stockwell, director, from Galveston, is almost 50? I first saw him in the TV movie "Quarterback Princess" with Helen Hunt almost 30 years ago. I generally like his direction, and one of his better ones was "Blue Crush." His films have a very realistic feel to them and "Middle of Nowhere" feels very realistic.

Shot in the Baton Rouge area, including some scenes on the Mississippi River levee, the story is about a group of teenagers trying to navigate into young adulthood.

Eva Amurri (Susan Sarandon's real-life daughter) is Grace, almost 19 and intending on going to medical school. Grace is a very serious teenager, but is hampered by $35Thousand in credit card debt that her mother ran up in Grace's name after dad killed himself. So having no other choice she is working at the local water park for the summer. Mom is not very sympathetic or helpful to her cause. There are a number of serious mother-daughter issues.

Anton Yelchin as Dorian Spitz has a different set of issues. He is adopted and at 17 really doesn't want to follow into the family business as an undertaker. He is working at the water park also, but for a different reason, as a cover for his real enterprise, selling high-quality cannabis to a variety of locals. In fact he has an ingenious cover, he shows up with Starbucks cups in a tray, at a home or a business or on a golf course, to deliver the product, collecting his money in the exchange.

Dorian has been put on foot for the summer as a punishment so he befriends Grace, who has a car. She is very reluctant at first but, coming to the realization that she needs money quite a bit faster than the water park job can supply it, takes an interest in the enterprise. She goes into a partnership with Dorian, as his driver, and they will split profits 50:50.

As we might imagine not everything goes smoothly, they get themselves into some tight situations, and boyfriend/girlfriend issues between the two of them and others also complicates things. And overall it is a good movie, a study of teenage characters trying to make it into young adulthood.

Also good is Willa Holland, who was about 16, as Grace's 15-year-old sister Taylor Elizabeth Berry. As well as the mother, Susan Sarandon as Rhonda Berry. And the other boyfriend candidate, Justin Chatwin as Ben Pretzler.

The golf course scenes were filmed at The Island golf community in Plaquemine about 14 miles from downtown Baton Rouge.