I've just finished watching this movie for the fourth time. It just gets better and better. One of things I love about it is that you just can't compare it to most anything you've ever seen. It sort of belongs in that small-town category of mid-level to independent American films like "You Can Count On Me"; it's about family, about growing up even if you're already an adult, about the differences in attitudes of blue staters to red staters. Every character is so alive in their own way. They behave precisely according to their values, but in a way that we don't really see anyone acting. Amy Adams got an Oscar nomination for her performance that is guaranteed to win you over the second you meet her. She has big curious eyes and wears her heart on her sleeve and appears to be one of the guileless characters we've come across at the movies in a long time. This is a movie you can really wrap yourself in and where the emotion comes from how we get to know these people, instead of any phony situations that make everybody behave melodramatic like in lesser movies or TV. It's smart and heartwarming; can't recommend it higher.
