Daltry Calhoun (2005)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

not as good as all the hype

Just perfect...

I like this movie; I really, really liked this movie. Ducktown, where the movie takes place,is a great place to live. This weekend, we're having a "DuckRace" to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club, here in Columbia, TN. (Consider yourselves invited.) We don't really have too many guys that look as great as Johnny Knoxville just knocking about town, or any actresses that can burn up a screen the way Juliette Lewis does in this movie; but it is beautiful, here. I'm grateful to Quentin Tarantino and Katrina Holden Bronson (daughter of Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland, the writer and director)for making us look so good. David Koechner turns in a touching performance in the film, as well. Sophie Traub, as June is a real discovery. I understand that she is not a south paw, as she plays in the film: it makes it easier to understand why she has such a hard time playing convincing air guitar, at the end. Her vulnerability will TOTALLY intimidate you traditional Johnny Knoxville fans out there, so PLEASE, just stay away if you've got a closed mind. Her next film with Russell Crowe, "Tenderness" should be out in November. This movie is such a breath of fresh air that many people will not be able to inhale it. I think it's a sleeper that is truly visionary.

Not having a clue about "Daltry Calhoun", we decided to give it a try. We like to discover "indies" that might have a different viewpoint, away from the commercial films coming from Hollywood. The idea behind the film was the director's own appreciation for Southern culture. Inexperience might have gotten in the way, as Katrina Holden Bronson, the director, seems to have her heart in the right place, but the screen play she wrote is full of chiches about the same quirky characters she is trying to bring to life in her film.The best thing in the film is Sophie Traub, a delightful newcomer, as far as this viewer is concerned, who steals the film from the other, more established actors. Ms. Traub plays June, a girl that having grown up without a father, in her environment, turns out quite balanced and with a maturity way beyond her young age. June, who has taken an interest in Doyle Earl, a big lug of a guy who is illiterate, shows her good nature by teaching this man how to read and deal with what life has given him. Sophie Traub is a young actress on her way to bigger and better things, no doubt.The basic problem with the film is the Daltry Calhoun of Johnny Knoxville. For a man that has made it big in the grass business, he acts as though he is pained to see how far he went with his limited intelligence and resources. The business that started good, suddenly hits a snag as the grass begins producing strange growths. When May reappears in his life, he just doesn't know how to deal with the situation as he reacquaints with June and her mother.Elizabeth Banks, who is usually an excellent presence in anything she appears, is bogged down by her May, a woman who is suffering an unknown disease and has brought June back to her father. Juliette Lewis has some good moments as Flora, the store owner who loves Daltry, and finds June a good cause to get involved with. David Koechner makes an impression as the somewhat retarded older Doyle Earl."Datry Calhoun" is not a total loss and one wishes Ms. Bronson something better for her next time behind the camera.

Johnny Knoxville gets slammed for his acting, and it would be fair to say he isn't the best actor in the world, nor is he ever likely to be - this coming from someone who is a massive fan of his. But this film proves, certainly more than the 'actually better than it should be' Dukes of Hazzard that he can actually act.This movie didn't do much for me on the first viewing - Which doesn't sound like much of a recommendation - but I would urge people to give it a chance. I found with each subsequent viewing, it just gets better and better. Everyone is the cast, from Knoxville to the supporting cast members, plays their parts brilliantly and makes their characters believable. For me, Knoxville really shines when in his scenes with Sophie Traub who plays June. There is a very endearing awkwardness to his character and he is very likable in this role. The other actors - especially the aforementioned Traub and the criminally underrated Juliette Lewis help to round out a solid cast. I would say that there do seem to be rather too many plot threads going on at one time, and perhaps the film would benefit from a few of them being trimmed and the film just concentrating on Daltry and June's relationship, but other than that, this film is actually well worth your time and effort to watch.This isn't the best film in the world, nor is it ever likely to become so, but if you just want to see a sweet, well acted 'Sunday afternoon' type movie then give it a chance. Not every film has to be 'The Godfather', not every film has to change your life or make a difference. Sometimes all you want is to be entertained, and this film certainly does that.

"Daltry Calhoun" is a tall refreshing drink of pure spring water in the sewage that's spilling out of Hollywood today. A beautiful, poignant, sweet character drama about a father who reunites with his 14 year old prodigy daughter. Johnny Knoxville is both funny, sweet, and endearing, but the real star is Sophie (I forget her last name) who plays June. Her performance is so powerful, funny, and magentic that you feel you're watching someone who will be a major star in a few years. Katrina Bronson's script and direction has that delicate but surehanded touch that I felt when I first saw "Lost in Translation." If you want to go to a movie to feel good and have something truly tug at your heartstrings, go see it.