Tumbleweeds
Gavin O'Connor directed, co-wrote and plays a major supporting role in this drama about a mother and daughter coming to terms with each other's problems. In Tumbleweeds, Janet McTeer plays Mary Jo Walker, a single mother with a long string of bad marriages and a habit of hitting the road when things start to turn sour. Her 12-year-old daughter Ava (Kimberly J. Brown) has learned to live with her Mom's nomadic ways and comfortably slips into the pattern of each new town. At the film's outset, Mary Jo and Ava depart Missouri for San Diego, California, with Mary Jo falling for a rough-hewn trucker named Jack (Gavin O'Connor) along the way. Once in San Diego, Mary Jo's relationship with Jack fails to run smoothly and her new job presents more than its share of challenges, while Ava has romantic problems of her own when she gains her first boyfriend. McTeer, an established stage actress in England, made her American screen debut in this film, which also features notable character actor Michael J. Pollard as Mary Jo's eccentric boss. more..
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Starring: Janet McTeer, Kimberly Brown,Gavin O'Connor, Jay O. Sanders, Michael J. Pollard
Rarely have two actresses been so effortless in their intimacy.
McTeer and Brown make magic ina film that is wonderfully funny, touching and vital.
You'll care what happens in this film with more than enough freshness and originality to avoid succumbing to girls-on-the-run cliches.
Movies like Tumbleweeds exist in the details, not the outcome. Even a happy ending, we suspect, would be temporary. We don't mind, since the characters have been intriguing to know and easy to care about.
Bound by mother-daughter ties that are complex, touching, ultimately so powerful they yield the kind of tearful joy rarely experienced at the movies.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Academy Awards (2000)
Best Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (2000)
Best Actress
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (1999)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Golden Globes (2000)
Best Debut Performance
Independent Spirit Awards (2000)
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