Movie Review: Wendy and Lucy

Wendy and Lucy
Written By: Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt
Directed By: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Michelle Williams, Will Patton, Wally Dalton, and Lucy The Dog

Wendy and Lucy tells the story of a young woman and her dog traveling to Alaska in search of work for the summer. Upon arriving in a small Oregon town she falls on hard times and becomes stranded after her car breaks down and her financial situation grows extremely dire.

It's a stark, minimalist film that never really take off but it's kept from being boring or tedious by the brilliant performance from Michelle Williams. This entire film rests on her shoulders and she carries it effortlessly. She makes Wendy a character to sympathize with and to root for. Without her, I really don't know that this movie would have been anywhere near as interesting. It is a subtle, nuanced, and stunning performance.


The film is directed wonderfully by Kelly Reichardt from a script co-written by Jonathan Raymond. It's as indie as indie can get. It's 1990's indie. The kind of indie film you really don't see anymore. There is no Hollywood gloss. It has a sense of guerilla filmmaking to it. It's pretty refreshing to see an independant film that actually looks independantly produced.

I really enjoyed the movie but I don't think many in a mainstream audience will. I think this is a movie that is most appreciated by film lovers and not casual film watchers. What I mean is that your normal miltiplex crowd will not have the patience or the inclination to sit through this movie, despite it's short running time, and that is unfortunate.

In the short running time, a lot happens to Wendy and I hesitate to list exactly what except that she just can't catch a break. It sort of has a vibe of what's next and I was getting a little fearful of what might be coming next.

Some will be extremely frustrated with the ending and to be honest when I finished watching I was as well. It took a couple of days thinking it over to come to terms with it. You'll have to see it for yourself but for me I took it to be inspirational.

Wendy and Lucy is a wonderful film driven by a superb performance from its lead. Michelle Williams has given another brilliant performance and it makes me want to see so much more from her. She really deserves mainstream success. It's unfortunate that the film won't reach a large audience because it deserves to be seen and it certainly deserves more recognition.

Try to find Wendy and Lucy in your local theater, otherwise it will release on DVD on May 5, 2009,