Middle of Nowhere (2008)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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

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.

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.

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.