Trucker (2008)

Trucker is a very, very good film that's only let down in the end by its pitiful lack of plot. Sterling performances, believable human relationships and an engrossing look at the lower rungs of the American success ladder grab your interest and make you care about what happens in this story. Then with its conclusion, it's as if writer/director James Mottern decided to go out of his way to remind the audience that there was really no structure or direction or design to anything they just watched. Now, you don't have to have a great plot to have a great movie. Michelle Monaghan and Nathan Fillion are so wonderfully relaxed and human here that more of plot might have only gotten in the way. What you cannot do, however, with a motion picture that's all about experiencing the emotion of human struggle and the slap on a finish that's dependent on unsupported, arbitrary and ridiculous-in-the-light-of-day conflicts.Diane Ford (Michelle Monaghan) is a truck driver, cruising through a life of casual isolation from the world and alienation from herself. Her existence is made up of long hauls, random one night stands and then returning home to adolescently flirt with a married man (Nathan Fillion), but she doesn't seem all that unhappy with it. Then the son she abandoned 10 years ago (Jimmy Bennett) is dropped on her doorstep because his father (Benjamin Bratt) is dying of cancer and Diane's life has to get a lot less casual.You may have heard of Monaghan's performance here and it is every bit as good as people say. She beautifully inhabits Diane Ford. From her sexual ease to her inability to refer to her 11 year old son with something other than "dude" to her growing awareness that contentment in being alone is breaking down, this is some award worthy acting. Nathan Fillion is just as good as a man so enthralled with Diane that he can't imagine life without her, even though he's not actually with her. Benjamin Bratt is also powerful in the small but crucial role of the father and Jimmy Bennett as the boy…well, he's not one of these freakish child actors who blow you away on screen, but that's probably good for him and the talent he does have is good enough.And the awkward, difficult and ultimately rewarding relationships between these people carry Trucker along on a cloud of goodwill. You like these people, even when they're not trying to be likable, and that can take things a long way. These are the kind of characters where you actively want them to have a happy ending.What makes a very good film like this great are the obstacles put in the way of that happy ending and that's where Trucker breaks down on the side of the road. There are two interrelated issues that come to a head at the end of this story. Will Diane and her son stay together? Will Diane exchange her selfish and deleterious independence for some sense of belonging? With the first, there's never any question at all. I know there's supposed to be a suspension of disbelief, but you've got to be a massively credulous moron to think for a nanosecond that her son might wind up anywhere but with Diane. Monaghan and Bennett do everything they can to create and sustain some doubt, but Writer/director Mottern's plot doesn't do anything to establish and build up any possible alternative to Diane and her son staying together. There's only one other potential destination and Mottern does nothing to make it seem even vaguely credible.With the second, it's first dealt with when Diane and her married "friend" finally acknowledge their love for each other. But first we're told they've been doing this dance for 4 years. Now, Diane's independence explains why they're not married or together in some other way. But why haven't they boinked in 4 years when from their first moment we see them together they're practically drooling over each other? Again, the plot doesn't do the work to justify their chastity. And then there's the big moment at the end where Diane is confronted with the consequences of her aimless and self-centered ways. Well, aside from not matching the tone and feel of the rest of Trucker, that big moment turns on a character who hasn't been heard from or seen on screen for over an hour doing something that not only make no sense in general, it doesn't fit anything previously set up about the character or his agenda. When the big moment happened, I wasn't even sure it was the same character at first because his reappearance and actions are so out of the blue. Again, if that's how things were going to conclude, the plot needed to do a lot more work foreshadowing or at least rationalizing it.With a plot that competently introduced, sustained and exacerbating a series of conflicts to lead to a satisfying ending, Trucker would have been a great motion picture. Without one, this is still very, very good and more than worth your time and trouble. Give it a look.

What embodies the lonely, self-dependent person than the trucker? Hours upon hours of driving with nothing but some music and one's own thoughts. We've seen this protagonist before, just not in the form of the beautiful Diane (Michelle Monaghan) cussing and driving a truck. The opening scene with Diane getting a quick sexual fix, pulling out a cigarette and hitting the road without saying more than a word or two is not exactly original character development, but James Mottern's debut film hits a notably real chord in all its silence and familiarity.When Diane gets stuck with Peter, an 11-year-old boy who as it turns out is the son she abandoned an infancy, suddenly "Trucker" has the workings of an "unlikely pair go on a road trip comedy." Fortunately, that tired concept of two people who don't like each forming a bond pretty much ends after the first third of the film and everything becomes much more real. After all, Diane is watching Peter because his dad, her ex-husband, is dying of colon cancer -- not your typical circumstance. And rather than Diane and Peter slowly reconnecting as mother and son throughout, there are much more ups and downs.Occasionally "Trucker" will dip into cliché, namely in its handling of mother-son dialogue. Peter is a smart kid with real kid issues of wanting to be loved and showing it by provoking adults, but a couple times Mottern has him drift into the kid who says something intelligent and revealing about the older character who is frozen by the comment and considers it in a lingering camera shot at the end of the scene. Mottern keeps the film quiet and subtle for so much of it and these techniques put little cracks into his vision.But Mottern must be thankful for this strong core cast. Monaghan excels in her first dramatic starring role. Diane is not the most complicated of characters to solve, but Monaghan keeps her from ever becoming an open book. Her lone wolf speak-your-mind mentality is much more at odds with the small kernel of her that wants to make meaningful connections with the people who have suddenly become close to her. The young Jimmy Bennett also impresses as Peter, having a lot more scenes requiring self-awareness and meaningful discussion that most child actors. Nathan Fillion, who plays Diane's friend Runner also works his charms and Benjamin Bratt as the dying father earns our sympathy quickly despite his minimal screen time."Trucker" could have done with half the number of driving in a truck to contemplative indie music transition sequences, but that's just the kind of film it is. It has that timeless, expected story line of two people who slowly forge a relationship they didn't think they wanted but both need, yet some unpredictable moments and solid performances throughout that keep its message fresh a create genuine sympathy for its characters.~Steven CVisit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com

And it is her movie though her kid in this movie is impeccable and as convincing as she is. I wonder what his age is. Oh well. Michelle does not attempt to maintain her looks as Diane Ford. Trucking is not an easy career and it would take a special kind of woman to do it. Knowing that Michelle actually learned how to drive an 18-wheeler for this part proving she is that kind of woman. In fact, she told herself that if she didn't learn how to drive that truck, she would refuse the part.That's astounding when you consider how good she is as an actor. The thing about good looking women is, many of them don't seem to have a real mind working behind the smile. Michelle leaves no doubt there's a mind there, and a real personality to contend with too. It's sheer enjoyment to watch her and she's in almost every frame. The reason is obvious, she is capable of moving the story along almost by herself.The story is fairly straight forward, mom deserts husband and son to live a life on the road, free to do as she likes. Years later she has to take temporary care of that son and finds herself succumbing to her maternal instincts. You see her thrash about unwilling to give up her freedom, but mostly it's a gradual disillusionment with her fairly empty life, despite the same sort of resistance coming from her boy.I enjoyed the movie a lot and haven't seen any actress do a better job bringing a character to life in years. It was quite impressive how well this new director was able to capture and enhance Michelle's performance. The Academy would be shooting itself in the foot if it didn't recognize Michelle for the rare resource that she is.

I was able to see this film at the Austin Film Festival 2008. Saw it twice actually, since Natnan Fillion's number one fan wasn't able to go the night I had it on my calendar. Despite problems with the script (didn't always ring true) and definitely with the dialogue (again, problems with truth, and reality), Nathan, Michelle, and Jimmy give fine performances. Dialogue weakness, I would guess, would be a tough thing for an actor to overcome, but Nathan sails through it with flying colors. I would have liked to have asked the director why he chose sepia tones for some of the scenes - they simply didn't fit with the message/action on screen. I'd ask, but he'd probably not answer, like in the Q&A at the Sunday evening screening. (What, me bitter? No.) If I had to guess, I'd say that the director makes some rookie errors since this was his first narrative; and, it appears he was more interested in being an "artiste" rather than telling the audience a story. Overall though, I enjoyed the picture, particularly Nathan Fillion, Michelle Monaghan and Jimmy Bennett.