Off the Map (2005)

It never fails to amaze me how people will give "9" or "10" ratings to very weak films. This movie is well-intentioned, with ONE great performance in it (Joan Allen's). When Joan Allen is on screen, the film's humanity comes through. Unfortunately, the movie is mortally wounded by a cute, precocious performance by Valentina De Angelis, one of the most self-aware, obnoxious child actresses I've ever seen. She RUINS this film.If I had a daughter like Ms. De Angelis, I'd become a depressed catatonic like Sam Elliott's character, too.Nice photography, not bad direction, passable soundtrack.Shame about that Valentina De Angelis performance. Hand me another Prozac and some Gummi Bears, will ya?4 stars.

I used to go visit my parents when they lived in New Mexico. I'd time my visit to see the Balloon Festival. The colorful balloons dancing across the New Mexico sky is an apt metaphor for why this land is so special.The Grodan family (Bo (Valentina de Angelis), Arlene (Joan Allen) & Charley (Sam Elliott) lead a minimalist existence in this land. They grow their own food, hunt for small game, and live without TV or telephone. They make their own entertainment. Into this family William Gibbs (Jim True-Frost) walks in and his life becomes enchanted. He has been trying to find his way all his life and he begins to do so the moment he spots Arlene naked in the garden entranced with watching a wolf.The film featured an outstanding performance by Valentina de Angelis in her first film. It was a tender and thoughtful and, at times, a funny film.

Sometimes a really good movie comes along, with characters that remind you of people you know (including yourself) and the ability to weave a plot around everyday life. This is one of those. The character development is its centre-piece and strength. Though it doesn't say it's a "True Story", it depicts truth and you know you've been there before with some of the scenes. A film for all ages - don't let the "nudity" warning put you off - This film depicts very real people is a very real country setting that is fast becoming something we only remember from our childhood. As the ocean of the past recedes, and the sky of future comes, learn again to enjoy the horizon of the present!

'Off the Map' passed the time, it was pleasant, it was sweet, certainly a little different to everything else out there, but by no means did I 'enjoy' it.Reading all the treacly positive comments here on IMDb, and looking at the IMDb ratings categorized by age & sex, it appears that this 'is a film for everyone' (though females in all age groups will like it slightly better than men of similar age). Yet I watched 'Off the Map' this weekend on DVD with 3 other people (so we were 2 males, 2 females), and who's ages spanned 3 IMDb age-groups, and we all came away from it feeling not only a sigh of relief that the film was finally over, but disappointed that 'that' was it.The film itself is decent: gorgeous scenery, pretty good acting, straightforward story, etc, etc. But the film plodded along so slowly that we all found ourselves looking at the clock to see how much longer before it was due to be over. And by the time it was about to finish, I couldn't even remember how we found ourselves in the flashback-that-is-the-movie to begin with!Not all that much happens in the film, and I'm OK with that. But what could have been done better perhaps would have been to show us a glimpse of life *before* the father's depression, a glimpse at the happy, active and loving family they we are told they once were. This would have contrasted well with the family that we found ourselves watching, and perhaps made us more sympathetic towards them. Bo, of course, has memories of the better days, which is why her recollection of the time in her life that we are privy to is so much more poignant. We could have benefited from the same.I had to laugh at the 'sexual content' advisory on the box (and the fact that someone commenting on the film here on IMDb bumped their rating up by 2-stars 'because of the nudity': there is 1 scene in which a 'live' breast is visible, and maybe 2 instances where we quickly see some nude sketches of the same person - none of which are sexual in context. And correct me if I'm wrong, but in all cases Bo, the young girl, is present (fully clothed at all times!).I wouldn't have mentioned it - except that it shows that people have a tendency these days to over-dramatize things. Including 'how good' this film was.On the bright side, I can say that I am thankful that Amy Brenneman's screen time was kept to under 3 minutes!This film would have been a good 'made for TV' movie. Regardless, if you haven't yet seen 'Off the Map' and are wondering if you should rent it, ask yourself first if you'd enjoy a nice relaxing evening watching a film on The Women's Network. 'Cos this film suits it perfectly.