Junebug

A dealer in outsider art threatens the equilibrium of her middle-class in-laws in North Carolina. Madeline is a go-getting art gallery owner from Chicago, recently married to George, a near-perfect Southern beau.

Its safe to say that Amy Adams, keeps the film afloat, the story is so mudane and uninteresting that every time she is on screen she is a breath of fresh air and a joy to watch.

The reasons for the flatness of the film is the fact that the dysfunctional family rountine has been seen before, and 'Junebug' plays like a mixture of ‘Meet the Parents’ and a second rate Wes Anderson film, a strange mix that does’nt really work.

There is plenty of heart trying to breakout of this film but a number of quirky scenes example a scene of a lead character flapping her hands whilst nail vanish is drying, and an inclusion of an odd ball painter in the location the south of America is just too weird. 

The stand out, tear jerky hospital scene staring you guessed it Amy will knock you for six and only highlights that Adams given the right role will knock everyone out of the park.

Life in Massena is as harsh and barren as the frigid landscape. In this bleak terrain, two hardened single mothers are trying to make lives for their children. 

The Sundance festival winner of 2008 and also oscar nominations for Melissa Leo and screenplay, a relatively small film was raised to great highs on release.

The acting is solid and Leo deserved her praise. Still the ordinary feel of the drama, and the everyday events surrounding family life would suit more a hard hitting drama, rather than a hard hitting thriller which the film has been pitched at and attempts to execute.

The film has a grounded style and is ultimately more suited as a TV film feel rather than the full cinema experience.