Tumbleweeds (1999) User Reviews

Some very fine performances and a story that isn't too corny make this an enjoyable movie

[philip_vanderveken · 7/10 · 21 July 2005]

I must admit that I didn't really look forward to this movie. I mean, a movie with a story about a mother and daughter on the run for an abusive husband, is there a bigger cliché in the history of Hollywood? I really don't think so. This is the stuff bad TV-movies, which have only one intention and that is to make the average housewife cry her eyes out, are made of. I only gave it a try because I didn't have much better to do and was only thinking about watching the first 15 minutes, just in order to be sure that it was one of the many. But guess what, I finished it. That already says it all, but for those who are interested, I'll also explain why I liked it.

Every time her relationship fails, Mary Jo Walker runs from town to town and from state to state with her 12 year old daughter. And every time she promises herself and her daughter that everything will be different this time. Now she will look for a decent man who will love them forever. They decide to go to San Diego. But before they get there, their car breaks down and they need the help of a trucker to fix it. Mom immediately sees a new candidate husband in him, but her daughter already sees what is about to happen. He's the same kind of guy as always, mom will fall in love again and tell that this one is different, but will end up running from him like she has always done. And indeed, that's the way it happens, but this time Ava, doesn't want to leave anymore. She has made friends at school and will soon act in a school play...

Even though this movie was rather predictable and far from original, I admit that I had a good time watching it. The story isn't the reason why I liked it so much, although it could have been a lot worse. The fact that Ava wasn't the 'cute and lovely' kid who will bring her mother on the right track again by organizing a romantic date with a great man sure had a lot to do with the fact that I still enjoyed the story. But in the end it's still the acting that really did it for me. Janet McTeer was really excellent as the runaway mom and together with Kimberly J. Brown, who played Ava, she formed an excellent team.

Overall this is a nice movie that sure is a lot better than what I expected. Yes, I even liked it and no I'm not a middle-aged housewife. It just wasn't too corny and had some very fine performances to offer. That's also the reason why I give this movie a rating in between 7/10 and 7.5/10.

A Pleasant Surprise

[davidholmesfr · 7/10 · 31 January 2003]

The premise of a film about a mother and 12 year-old daughter on the road is not necessarily attractive to everyone. But this was a refreshing example of the genre, mainly because the director allowed character development. Mother and daughter have characteristics both endearing and infuriating (like all of us; something that Hollywood so often forgets) and, as a result, we're not forced to take sides with one against the other. Rather we find ourselves looking out for opportunities for them to both lead a more stable existence. Inevitably in a film of this nature there must be a great temptation to play on sentimentality and help boost Kleenex sales. But fortunately that doesn't happen; in fact the only tearful moment comes from one of the male characters recounting the loss of his wife. The two leads react well to each other, something which was essential for the film to work.

An entertaining approach to the genre for which the viewer doesn't have to suspend rationality.

McTeer is phenomenal!

[Johnboy-7 · 8/10 · 8 December 1999]

Janet McTeer's multi-faceted performance makes this otherwise predictable character study a must-see for serious acting buffs. As a native Southerner, I have suffered through more hideous attempts at Southern accents than I care to remember, but McTeer nails the accent right down to the complicated vowel sounds and makes it seem utterly natural. The story runs out of gas in the final third, and the "Winnebago ex machina" element comes out of left field, but why quibble? McTeer is absolutely phenomenal, bringing far more complexity to the role than is written on the page.

What an introduction to Janet McTeer--her charisma cannot be contained!

[Terena-3 · 16 May 2000]

I urge all film lovers to see -Tumbleweeds-. The relatively unknown cast, director and screenwriter(s) blew me away! This film is a gift of fantastic proportions wrapped in plain, brown paper, so tear into it and see what's awaiting you beyond the simple plot of serial-monogamist mother and almost-fully-teenaged daughter fleeing the scene of yet another bad breakup, and heading West to find a new home. I was gripped by Janet McTeer's powerful performance, and unusual character, from the first scene. I cannot imagine anyone not being similarly bowled over. The supporting cast will also surprise and delight you--why can't all young actors be as natural as Kimberly Brown? Rent it today! :-)

The film's upbeat nature may strike some as false, yet the giddy handling in general is persuasive...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 9 October 2011]

British actress Janet McTeer gives a convincing, first-rate performance as a Southern woman and man-lover who can't find a good guy to love. She and her preteen daughter drive from one state to the next, lighting in a motel room somewhere until a local romance blooms--and then high-tailing out of town when it predictably blows up. Soon after arriving in Southern California, McTeer's Mary Jo Walker finds a decent job, begins making friends, and sees her daughter excelling in school for the first time; however, a new relationship with a sexy but volatile trucker may put everything on the rocks. What starts out as a generic road movie--with hints of "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" besides--becomes an absorbing, intimate character portrait. McTeer (who resembles Laurie Metcalf) isn't your typical tramp or "lover of life"; she isn't unstable, and she's a good mother, but what she's trying so hard to get (a husband and a real home) doesn't always respond to her in kind. We see Mary Jo trying her damnedest to make her life work, eventually falling into familiar patterns but this time learning from her mistakes. The finale is rose-colored and probably not credible, but the optimistic nature of Gavin O'Connor's screenplay (co-written with Angela Shelton), as well as his perceptive direction, makes the journey a fun, embraceable ride. **1/2 from ****

A Bore!

[xoxoamore · 6/10 · 28 June 2003]

I was disappointed to find this a dull, boring film. Tumbleweeds has no real plot to speak of, but this was not its primary problem. Indeed, as any lover of European cinema knows, films with vivid characterizations and strong acting (though little plot) can be riveting. Tumbleweeds, however, is weak on all fronts. The dialogue is not sharp and, perhaps because of the improvisational acting the director allowed, many of the scenes seem slow and do not enhance strongly enough our emotional connection with the characters. As for the acting, Janet McTeer and especially Jay O. Sanders are moving but their intensity is not matched by their fellow actors. (For example, Ashley Buccille, playing Ava's friend Zoe, is a far better actress than Kimberly Brown.) While this story certainly had the potential to be a great film, sadly it was simply a bore.

Familiar tale told well

[SKG-2 · 9/10 · 5 January 2000]

In "Join Together," the Who sang, "It's the singer, not the song/That makes the music move along," and that can be true of certain kinds of movies as well. TUMBLEWEEDS is surely not the first mother/daughter film ever made, even this year. I haven't seen ANYWHERE BUT HERE yet(though the novel it was based on is quite good), but TUMBLEWEEDS distinguishes itself from the crowd by its attention to detail and character, and the performances. Director/co-writer(with ex-wife Angela Shelton) Gavin O'Connor makes San Diego come alive, from the office Mary Jo(Janet McTeer) works in, to the beach, and the small houses she and her daughter Ava(Kimberly Brown) end up living in. And except for perhaps Mary Jo's boss(well-played by Michael J. Pollard), who is a caricature(albeit a funny one), every character here is well drawn. Even Jack(O'Connor), the trucker Mary Jo ends up with in San Diego who later turns bad, is well-drawn; we're never meant to see him as completely bad, though he does have his darker side.

But the real reason to see this is the performances of the two leads. McTeer and Brown are fresh faces to movie audiences, which means they have no image to distract us from the story, but it also means they bring nothing we know from them to the part, so they have to start fresh. And they respond with wonderful and realistic performances. McTeer doesn't turn Mary Jo into the stereotype of an oversexed woman or the insufferably noble mother but as a woman who wants to do right but isn't always sure how. And Brown doesn't make Ava overly cute or precocious, but a recognizable kid who nevertheless has to be the adult at times. The two of them also have a terrific bond together as well, and like a character late in the film they meet, O'Connor the director knows enough not to intrude on that.

One last note; some comments have dismissed this entirely because it's familiar. Are you the same people who will gladly see a hundred SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE clones or THE MATRIX clones and not complain about them being familiar? As I said at the top, sometimes the telling can distinguish a familiar tale.

A warm road movie about an immature mother and her precocious preteen daughter

[fredrikgunerius · 7/10 · 17 October 2023]

Despite its somewhat romanticized handling of teenage and marital problems and a willing use of stock characters, Tumbleweeds manages to stand out from the crowd as an inspiring and real story of an immature mother and her precocious preteen daughter who drift across the American south looking for romance and stability, respectively. The key, besides writer/director Gavin O'Connor's deep care for his characters, is the remarkable performances by the two leads, and particularly British Janet McTeer as the mother. She looks and sounds as though she has never set foot outside of the confederate states, and on top of that is as fresh and idiosyncratic as any one film character I've seen in a while. Her interplay with young Kimberly J. Brown as the daughter is also fine, and it's through that Tumbleweeds produces the warmth which glosses over the film's more unremarkable characteristics, such as O'Connor's own character or the fairly predictable plotline.

An underrated, highly impressive piece of work that everyone should check out!

[mattymatt4ever · 9/10 · 10 July 2001]

There are some character studies about simple people who live simple lives, yet you just sit there captivated, engaged, anxious to see what happens next. "Tumbleweeds" is one of those films. It moves along on the simple energy of these two offbeat characters Angela (Janet McTeer) and Ava (Kimberly Brown). The vivid characters are fueled by engaging performances by English actress McTeer (who pulled off a Southern accent with flying colors) and newcomer Brown (who's so adorable and resembles a young Mena Suvari). They live bumpy lives. The mother can't keep a stable job, nor a stable husband, and the daughter has to deal with the agony of watching her get dumped by one lousy guy after another. She never gets the chance to have a father figure in her life, and her free-spirited mother is the only one to give her any guidance. The main characters are flawed but extremely likable, and director O'Connor (who also plays one of Angela's beer-guzzling boyfriends) paints us an interesting portrait, bringing us on a wild ride through this Tennessee mother/daughter team's nomadic lifestyle.

The supporting cast is superb as well. Aforementioned O'Connor is great as the sleazy boyfriend. Michael J. Pollard is also appropriately sleazy as her boss. Of course, Pollard has that naturally sleazy quality about him, and he doesn't really need to try. The film is hilarious, yet moving. It's a vivid character study that will keep you laughing and thinking alike, and I feel it's really a priceless piece of work, composed of unknown actors and a low budget. Eat your heart out, "Pearl Harbor"!

My score: 9 (out of 10)

Not a must-see movie from 1999, unless you are curious about Janet McTeer's Oscar nomination.

[the amorphousmachine · 7/10 · 8 February 2019]

I actually watched this film on Youtube, and it's yet another film that is extremely hard to find on DVD etc in my country, so it's basically a movie that no one has really seen. 'Tumbleweeds' got on my radar due to the Oscar nominated performance Janet McTeer, and that performance is exceedingly good and worthy of a nomination. Kimberly J. Brown who plays the daughter in this film is also worth mentioning as an excellent performance as essentially McTeer and Brown hold the movie together. This movie a mother/daughter bonding movie, directed by Gavin O'Connor (Warrior, The Accountant) who also has a role in the film. 'Tumbleweeds' feels like a low-budget TV movie with Gavin O'Connor yet to perfect his storytelling and craft, but the performances from the two leads hold this movie together. The mother is careless and the daughter is precocious yet they both prove to be realistic characters and mostly likeable. As someone pointed out the comparison to 'Anywhere But Here', which is of the same year and same ilk, 'Tumbleweeds' is the better film by a mile, simply because the characters are actually likeable.

'Tumbleweeds' is worth watching if you want to see Oscar-nominated performances or are into low-budget indie movies, or curious about where Gavin O'Connor started. Other than that, it's perfectly miss-able too! It simply not must-see though.

Considering it's budget and performances; ***½ out of *****!

Predictable and uninteresting

[hejsamester · 1/10 · 3 August 2008]

This is one of the most predictable movies I have ever seen. From the first time we meet each character everyone who have just seen a couple of dramas before this one, will be able to tell their exact part of the story, and why the character is in it. The story itself is so classic and worn out that it almost hurts. Again, you can foretell everything in it - nothing new here at all, not even a new type of character or interesting side plot.

I guess the movie's audience is housewives in souther USA, and it might hit that target group pretty well. But to all others: Stay away, you got better things to spend the time on.

A waste of time, and I guess I can only blame myself for watching the whole thing because I was too lazy to put on a DVD instead.

Janet McTeer is an underrated actress

[lee_eisenberg · 8/10 · 11 September 2017]

I first heard of Gavin O'Connor's "Tumbleweeds" when star Janet McTeer received an Academy Award nomination for her role therein (it was also the first time that I'd ever heard of her). Unfortunately, the movie didn't get a wide release, so I didn't get a chance to see it. Now that I've finally seen it, I recommend it. A woman fleeing an abusive relationship is a common theme in cinema (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, This Boy's Life) but I liked the complexity of McTeer's character; she may be a hick, but she's one who stands up for herself. It's one of the more hard-hitting movies that you'll see.

Along with this, I hope that Janet McTeer receives more recognition in the coming years. She was particularly good in "Songcatcher", where she played a woman who records the music of people in Appalachia (she more recently appeared as Winston Churchill's wife in the HBO movie "Into the Storm").

All in all, a fine movie. Not a masterpiece, but still one of the many movies from 1999 that showed cinema taking a new, gritty direction (American Beauty, Being John Malkovich, Election, Fight Club, The Sixth Sense).

Janet McTeer's Performance is Worth the Price of Admission

[noralee · 7/10 · 8 November 2005]

"Tumbleweeds" is mostly a tour de force for the galvanizing Janet McTeer and the writer/director/co-star Gavin O'Connor.

The mother-daughter relationship is portrayed more believably stronger and warmer than almost any I've ever seen.

Even better are the subtleties where points are made visually or through situations and we're allowed to make our own connections and sense implications and consequences, without having everything spelled out.

Though it's basically a picaresque movie,it concludes as a working class "Unmarried Woman," as she learns, with her daughter's help, to stand on her own without a man, or at least not subservient to a man.

Terrific alt.country soundtrack, including Lyle Lovett.

(originally written 1/6/2000)

Excruciating.

[apocalypse later · 2/10 · 9 December 1999]

The creaky title metaphor is about the most creative thing going on in this pretentiously "edgy" tale of an irresponsible mother coming of age with the help of her preternaturally self-possessed daughter (yawn!). The utterly bogus "natural" acting and hand-held camerawork are sure to win awards and offend John Cassavettes fans everywhere. Pathetic.

An unoriginal premise made good by the writing and performances

[bob the moo · 13 April 2004]

Mary Jo Walker is constantly on the road. She moves from state to state as one relationship ends and she heads out looking for another. Her daughter is used to the unsettled lifestyle but starts to feel at home in her new school once she gets a lead role in the school play. Mary Jo gets herself a job and a new boyfriend, trucker Jack, however how long will it be before problems put her on the road again?

As a concept, this film lacks originality - the plot and the characters will be recognisable from other films, but that in itself is not a bad thing as nothing is ever totally unique (well, rarely). That said, this film still manages to be enjoyable and engaging thanks to a well written script that gives us characters and not caricatures combined with some very good performances to deliver them. The story relies heavily on the characters and this really does a good job of bringing those out to the strength of the film. It struggles towards the end with a bit of sentimentality that betrays what has gone before but mostly it is pretty true to itself.

The writing allows Mary Jo to be a complex character but yet one that we can understand and sympathise with even if we can't empathise. Likewise her relationship are real rather than just being one-dimensional - with Jack we can easily see the major problems between them but we can also see what drew them together. This works because the film has the cast to deliver these characters well. McTeer was Oscar nominated for this film and she deserved t hat at least. Her thunder was stolen a year or so later by Roberts' doing a similar performance but in a bigger film (thus more kudos). She is very good and she made the film. Brown is just as good and isn't the `cute kid' that can kill movies. Sanders has the worst role and he knows it - his white knight threatens the whole film but it is not his fault. O'Conner gets the triple by being good as Jack as well as doing the business with directing and writing.

Overall, I wasn't sure if I'd like this film as generally the genre doesn't always do it for me, but here the performances really bring a well written script to live. It doesn't quite know what to do with itself towards the end and risks it's integrity a bit but mostly it is very good and worth seeing.

Daughter knows best

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 15 April 2015]

"Tumbleweeds" (1999) stars Janet McTeer and Kimberly J. Brown as a mother and daughter in this semi-road movie slice-of-life. Mary Jo (the mother) is a quality soul—humble, honest, bold, down-to-earth and optimistic—yet she's perpetually attracted to the wrong men and has been married four times, but at least she has the smarts to leave when abuse starts. Ava (the daughter) is about 12-13 and is weary of being a living tumbleweed; she understandably wants to stay in San Diego where she finds herself finally establishing roots. Michael J. Pollard has a small role as Mary Jo's boss while Gavin O'Connor, Jay O. Sanders and Laurel Holloman have more significant roles.

"Tumbleweeds" only cost $312,000 in 1999, which goes to show that you can make a quality film with good actors on a shoestring budget. The second half is better than the first half and so it takes a while to immerse oneself into the world of the characters. The film won my respect in the second half with an impressive scene in the camper between Ava and Dan (Sanders).

Speaking of Ava, she's a good kid, but there are a couple of scenes where she gets on your nerves, like blowing bubbles at the dinner table and reading Shakespeare in the restaurant (more on this below). I also didn't like the faddish shaky camera, which I'm sure was done to add a tone of realism. Women will appreciate this film more than I did because the entire movie revolves around the mother & daughter as best friends and their drama & antics, most of which is fun, but some tacky and verging on crude (I said "verging").

I should add that I appreciate the way Jack (O'Connor) wasn't displayed as an over-the-top bad boyfriend. His criticisms on various situations were reasonable, but read below for further commentary.

The film runs 102 minutes and was shot entirely in Southern California.

GRADE: B-

INSIGHTS ON THE STORY ***SPOILERS***

Ava instinctively recognizes Jack as the sort of man that her mother would inevitably leave, which explains why she immediately plans an "escape route." This doesn't mean Jack is all bad, not at all, just that he was the type of guy her mother would eventually leave, not to mention Ava didn't sense any affinity with him. As such, she does annoying things to provoke Jack so her mother doesn't waste precious time with the wrong guy. By contrast, Ava picks up on Dan's warmth and integrity, which attracts her to him and, later, her mother. The ending is left open in regards to the future of Dan and Mary Jo, but it's assumed they will develop a lasting romantic relationship. Mary Jo just needs time to establish her life with Ava in their new home without the need of having a man, while Dan needs to take a trip with his camper to heal from his residual grief.

An enjoyable mom/daughter slice flick

[=G= · 6/10 · 8 May 2001]

"Tumbleweeds" tells of a good hearted North Carolina mom with no class who, with her 12 year old daughter in tow, hits the road for California to escape from a bad relationship and find happiness. Not unlike "Anywhere But Here" and similar movies, the daughter seems to have a better sense how to manage their lives than good ol' mom does as they meander through a slice of life with much of the run time dedicated to the mom-daughter interaction and relationship. "Tumbleweeds" is a journeyman comedy-drama with good performances by the two female principals. Likely to be most enjoyed by moms with teen and older daughters.

Best Movie, Actress and supporting cast

[Rick-282 · 10/10 · 20 November 1999]

I was drawn in to the characters before the opening credits, then felt the movie was over in a blink. Afterward, I wanted to write them a letter to see how things were going. Serious character development of likeable people.

Janet McTeer and Kimberly J Brown both adopted Southern accents in the creation of their memorable characters. Both performances are award worthy IMHO.

No need for anyone else to show up at the Oscars this year TUMBLEWEEDS should take home all the awards.

A MUST-SEE film the whole family will enjoy.

Three Cheers for McTeer!! No cheers for Gavin O'Connor.

[film-critic · 6/10 · 23 June 2007]

I have recently discovered director/actor/anyone commentary on DVDs. For the longest time, I would complain that they added no value to any film, and that as a critic I chose not to listen to them because I wanted to enjoy the film in its final version – audio commentaries are like being in the kitchen of a elaborate restaurant ... do you really want to know what goes in your food? Actually, and rather surprisingly, I have recently found the answer to be "yes", and have been devouring commentaries like minute candy. I have discovered many truths and errors of many directors or actors as they humorously and severely critique their bodies of work. One of my most recent adventures involved the film "Tumbleweeds", which garnished several awards (with great respect) for Janet McTeer, but made me realize one small facet of cinema that I don't think about when I watch movies directly – there is a reason the directors are behind the camera, and typically, not in front. In "Tumbleweeds", my case is built around Gavin O' Conner – the director, whom in my unprofessional opinion shouldn't be either in front of the camera or at least talking behind it. He is a decent director, but not one that should open his mouth or voice an opinion – harsh words? I don't think so. He completely destroyed the ambiance of this film.

Well, if I haven't completely disgusted the reader by this point, I have such pulled them in so that I have to explain myself and my comments about the above remark. As I watched "Tumbleweeds" for a second time, I realized that it was a wonderful film about a mother and daughter team that travels across the country avoiding the mother's mishaps with wrong men. It is a touching story that is helmed by one of the most unappreciated actresses of our time, Janet McTeer. Her performance, not only in this film, but also in a little independent feature called "Songcatcher", is breathtaking. She is captivating, intelligent, and completely steals every scene in which she performs. "Tumbleweeds" is worth the purchase, if anything, just for McTeer's performance. Not only is her singular performance attractive, but she is able to intermingle with her daughter, Ava (Kimberly Brown) with the greatest of ease, and even the despicable Jack Ranson (Gavin's mush-mouthed role) with sheer brilliance. I could dedicate this entire review, scene by scene, on how well McTeer controlled herself. It is a performance, as well as the one in "Songcatcher" that I believe others in the same profession should be forced to watch before getting into the game. This I believe – what can you say? But Gavin, oh Gavin, that is a completely different story.

For the first thirty-plus minutes of this film we are forced to build a bond between Janet and Ava, but then, Gavin – honestly kinda snobby – forces his way into the picture. Without the director commentary, it is merely by chance, but as you listen you realize that he tells us that nobody else could have played the role better than him. Arriving into California, I was a bit surprised that someone with an incredibly thick New York accent took the role of a manipulative trucker. Hey, he even gained weight for the role – but he didn't fit with the film. What bothered me the most is that he never quite saw that throughout his pandering of how great of a director he was. I envision Gavin as exactly the character of Jack Ranson. He is a decent guy to begin with, but when the stress begins to pour on, his temper begins to flair and his ego begins to rise. I just got that from this commentary, which in turn soured my experience a bit for this film.

There were other parts to the film that didn't fit either, but were excusable. There is a moment at the end where Ava and random man Dan Miller cry their eyes out in a RV, which doesn't make much sense in the grand scheme of the film – oddly, the entire Dan Miller addition (while greatly played by Jay O. Saunders) just didn't compute near the end. It was a chance to see that a good man was floating right below Janet's nose and she didn't even see it, but he just doesn't fit with the entire rest of the film. Kimberly Brown does a great job keeping up with McTeer and honestly playing her daughter very well – with the same sarcasm and spunk.

What can I say, outside of Gavin, I thought this was a very honest outing. I liked the lower budget which took chances, I liked the characters (for the most part), the drama seemed to equate well with the humor, and it was a true story – one couldn't ask for anything better. The mixture was perfect, and McTeer deserves every ounce of praise as she received for this film, but alas, I cannot say the same for Gavin. He is, as stated before, a decent director, but he forces himself too freely upon us. He is controlling, overbearing, and rude – and I haven't even met the man before. It is just the way he came across in the commentary.

I can suggest this film to everyone. I thought, beyond my dislike for Gavin, it was a powerful film with very strong characters. They were complex, yet utterly simple. It was translatable and powerful to see McTeer just gobble up her character. Outside of the small mishaps mentioned above, this was a great film.

Grade: *** out of *****

A mother-daughter story done right

[steve.schonberger · 9/10 · 1 January 2000]

I can't help but compare this movie to Anywhere But Here (1999), which was released just a month earlier. This one had almost no one I'd heard of anywhere in the credits, but the acting was still wonderful. I had no idea that the actresses weren't from the U.S. South until I read earlier IMDB viewer reviews, but the convincing accents were only the beginning of the fine acting in the movie. They were just as good as the big-name stars in the other movie, Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman (well, maybe not quite as great as Portman), but McTeer and Brown weren't betrayed by a bad script.

McTeer's performance works where Sarandon's fails. Sarandon's acting was very good, but she had a script that made her character difficult to believe and completely unlikeable. McTeer's acting was just as good (quite a feat), and she had a character who was both believable and sympathetic, though flawed. I hope this movie leads to bigger movies for her.

Brown's performance was completely convincing. Like real kids, she sometimes wants to be grown-up, and other times wants to just be a kid. She's helped by a script that is very believable. Portman had a less believable role, and managed the amazing feat of making her convincing, although she still couldn't save her movie. I'm sure she has a notable career in her future.

In this movie, McTeer's character Mary Jo Walker is a mother who wants to be involved with a man, but usually ends up with losers of one sort or another. She has the strength to leave them once she comes to her senses and realizes that they're losers, but not the sense to figure that out before getting involved. Everyone knows people like that. Her way of breaking away from the losers once and for all is to leave town abruptly, much to the disruption of her daughter's life, and her own. (Contrast that with Sarandon's character, who starts her movie by leaving a good relationship with a nice man for a silly fantasy.) Mary Jo is a loser magnet who tries to run away from her mistakes, but she's otherwise admirable -- a strong woman and a caring mother.

Brown's character Ava Walker is a believable kid. She can see her mother's loser magnet pattern, is aggravated by it, and warns her mother about it each time it repeats (not that it helps, of course), but she's still a regular kid. She's close to her mother, in spite of their erratic life, enjoys her pets and her friends in her new school. She has few deep drama scenes, but she portrays regular kid life very well.

The plot line of the story isn't remarkable, but the details are fully convincing, and the characters are interesting. The story makes us care about the characters, and that's what makes their journey interesting. Possible spoiler sentence: The ending is somewhat predictable, in that we assume they'll end up settling into a more stable life, but it's still convincing because Mary Jo is encouraged toward the optimistic ending by friends she makes along the way.

The well-developed supporting characters are a big part of why this movie's story works so well. She makes two good friends at her crummy job, and one at a garden store, and has an interestingly awful boss. Each character is well developed, and seems like a real person, and their presence in the story really helps tell us something interesting about Mary Jo.

One thing about the movie that's annoying at times is the use of hand-held cameras. Sometimes it gives scenes dramatic immediacy, but often it's just distracting. It doesn't detract too much from the movie, but the camera work could have been done better.

The movie says it's "based on a true story", whatever that means. (After all, aren't all stories based on truth in one way or another?) But in this case, it could mean that the characters seem real enough to make viewers think, "I know people like that." Good work.

It has it's moments despite not answering questions.

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 28 April 2023]

(1999) Tumbleweeds DRAMA

Upon watching this movie, almost reminded me of another movie called "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" from 1974 directed by Martin Scorsese, since the situations are somewhat similar. It deals with single mother, Mary Jo Walker(Janet McTeer) constant arguing with a drinking boyfriend, with 12 year old daughter, Ava who's already packing up her things in her room. The mother then comes into the daughter's room, and then says 'pack up your things, we're leavin'. And without any talking back, Ava listens, both of them driving away. This whole scenario is key because, viewers are going to know little more about Mary Jo and Ava, besides being mother and daughter. I, on the other hand was always kind of wondering what role, her daughter, Ava has in contributing to Mary Jo's breaking off of many relationships, for the movie never did show that until much later, and that it didn't show anything during the current one. This whole first half starts out as a 'road trip' movie, and Ava basically complains to her mother that theirs a consistent trend that seems to be happening, where her mother always goes with the "wrong" men all the time, resorting to them always having to move from town to town. Right there, is a full blown description which the average 'redneck' woman who lives in the south should be able to relate to, which is the amount of marriages and relationships one non-religious woman can have throughout her lifetime. While driving along the highway, Mary Jo is asking her daughter what city she'd want to live in, and she says California, because of the beaches. We, the viewers are always wondering, how she's going to deal with the 'stuck in the middle of the highway' thing and of course, it eventually does happen. It is there, she meets, truck driver, Jack, played by Gavin O'Connor who also happens to be the director and co-writer of the screenplay, adapted from the story by Angela Shelton. Are Jack and Mary Jo are going meet again, of course they're. By the time they get to their destination, and start to settle down where beaches are somewhere along the area, Mary Jo decides to get a job. Now, at this point I want to remind viewers, that this entire set up was during the time when jobs were flourishing in the States. Considering the fact that this story was before the market had crashed, and before 9/11, making the point that jobs used to be frequent and much easier to get. And, it is during at this time, when Mary Jo hooks up with Jack, that Ava becomes the inconsiderate brat that she really is, and can also contribute to the breaking of some of her mother's relationships, which has a lot to do with who gets more attention, because I as a viewer didn't think Jack was such a bad kind of guy. Does the mom ever talk with the daughter about the amount of attention she is showing toward Ava, as opposed to Jack? And the answer is, no it doesn't. And how does the daughter become such a snob at an expensive restaurant, all of a sudden? The movie never addresses this either. For the movie tends to lose focus on it's main objectives, and rather shifts much more attention to the daughter fully instead, which seems that all the times with Jack, are very blatant if you ask me, and it can be the result of the amount of running time the movie is supposed to have. And I totally hate movies, when it's the 12 year old child that gives good advice to the adult, rather than the other way around. I'm not talking about the scene where, Ava wanted to settle on the town she's in, I'm talking about the scene when Ava ran away from the mother and then converses with Mary Jo's male and single co-worker about using the RV again. This movie is like one notch over from being a negative, since it starts out great, turning the film around to say that men in general are no good anyway, since 12 year old brats demand much more attention than their spouses do, and that theirs no compromise about it either.

Insubstantial if well-acted comedy

[Chris_Docker · 4/10 · 27 March 2000]

Likeable but insubstantial comedy about a mother and daughter bonding as the mother goes from one relationship to another. A few moments of genuine comedy, such as when she quits her job and calls the boss for everything, or instructs her daughter on the art of kissing (using an apple as a prop) or has knockabout fun demystifying sanitary towels. Ultimately the woman is such a dedicated empty head though that no real man would bother long anyway, so her story lacks pathos.

Hits close to home.

[ernlewis · 10/10 · 10 October 2005]

The writer, director and lead actress have artfully created a character very real to me. My Mom was as truly full of the joie d' vivre as anyone I ever met -- yet she lost her youngest child two weeks before my Dad left for combat in WW II. Eighteen months later -- just two weeks before VJ Day -- she received that dreaded telegram that said he had been killed in the Pacific. I was only six -- but that day is burned in memory. Over the next ten years I watched her struggle in and out of three bad marriages. Finally she found a good man. Yet she NEVER lost her joie d'vivre. She taught me the power of FUN and laughter -- no matter how poor we got -- or how much we had to face the predatory abusers or self-righteous "do-gooders". What a powerful film!! WELL DONE!! ==== LATER COMMENT Have since read other comments. The comments of those who slammed this film seem to come from folks who have not seen much (if any) "poor" or "tough" in their lives -- and don't seem to know the South. Having also lived in SoCal, I would not expect some from LA to either empathasize with or enjoy the story. That it wasn't slick made it seem real to me. Even when you don't admire everything about a parent -- you can admire courage and a sense of humor when facing adversity.

They are certainly a lively pair! Such sparks and sensitive moments, trusting fun with giggles, laughter and knowing winks

[ruby_fff · 7/10 · 16 January 2000]

As much as I liked Susan Sarandon and the superb performance by Natalie Portman in 1999 "Anywhere But Here" directed by Wayne Wang, that was very much a Hollywood fare with all its glamour and fantasy.

"Tumbleweeds" (plural in the sense of both the mother and the daughter) is down to earth and natural. The integral playfulness of the two portrayals were amazingly delivered by the perfect pairing of Janet McTeer and Kimberly Brown as single mom Mary Jo Walker and young Ava Walker. Writer-director, Gavin O'Connor, who also performed in the film, did a marvelous job putting this together and realizing it on the screen the naturalness to it all: the behavior of the mother, the reactions of the daughter, and the circumstances surrounding the predicaments they encountered. The ending scene was heartwarming to see and hear the interaction between the mother and the daughter - It's simply wonderful!

Language-wise, it's a relief that we only get an occasional "shit" and no "F" word at all - we even get Shakespeare. Supporting roles were all well complemented, especially Jay O. Sanders, who was also the subtle man friend to Meryl Streep in the Brooklyn violin teacher story 1999 "Music of the Heart", here he plays the unobtrusive office mate to McTeer and was encouraging to Brown. He gave us the most poignant facial expressions when he played opposite Kimberly Brown, who equally delivered sensitive moments.

Other good performances of a teenage daughter role that comes to mind are: Jena Malone in 1998 "Stepmom" opposite Susan Sarandon; Dana Hill in 1982 "Shoot the Moon" opposite Diane Keaton.

This film has lots of energy, besides the central focus on the mother and daughter, it included school children interactions, family strives, small town office setting, and downright neighborhood friendliness. It's a worthwhile and satisfying human story.

How do the director, producer, and writer sleep at night?!?!

[mikehamilton · 2/10 · 1 April 2001]

Sorry for the long review, but I can't remain quiet on this one! Please read on to save yourself from pain!

This is just one of the poorest examples of American film! From the moment that the viewer is unfortunate enough to hit the "play" button on the DVD player (or VCR) he/she is subjected to HORRIBLE acting, fake southern accents the likes of which have not been heard in years, interaction between characters completely devoid of any form of relationship norms, and characters that don't even belong in the film.

How dare the director think us viewers completely stupid enough to think that when in the beginning of the film they are driving through "Kentucky", when it is clearly a desert! (the Southern California Desert to be exact). Then they arrive in "Missouri" which is obviously filmed just outside LA. Their entire drive across the country for the first extremely tedious 25 minutes is through Southern California! What garbage - the director and producers should be ashamed! I was appalled!

Next the scenes are ridiculous, the characters that show up have no relationship to what is going on and the end is just INANE! How could a broke, jobless, loser like this woman have enough furnishings for a large house?!?!?!?! This is just unrealistic at best. Why many of the characters even were brought into the film is beyond me! And HELLO - a Coffee Enema?!?!?! What was that put in the film for?!?!?! Please....I kept watching through the whole film just to see how much more ridiculous and far fetched this film could get! I laughed for nearly the entire length of the film!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also was completely embarrassed for the director and actors! How could they actually release this film and sleep at night!!!!!!!!!??????! I want my money back for the rental!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awful, Awful, Awful - I gave it 2 out of 10 and I was being more than generous! Save yourselves the anguish! I don't understand these people who said it was brilliant - obviously you haven't been exposed to quality films in your life time!