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Wendy and Lucy (2008)

Director: Kelly Reichardt

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Movie review

From Time Out New York

There are bad days, and then there’s what happens to Wendy (Williams) one warming Oregon morning. After a dreamlike intro of Wendy playing with her feisty, golden pooch (Lucy, from the title) and wading into a firelit circle of other young drifters, she awakens in her car to find the damn thing won’t start. Not an ideal circumstance for a woman with a grand total of $525, headed for a cannery job in Alaska. Worse, Wendy is later caught stealing dog food and hauled off to jail on the insistence of an overzealous clerk. By the time she’s freed, her darling Lucy, whom she had left tied outside the mart, is gone.

The full, concentrated remainder of Wendy and Lucy is a quest for reunion. If it puts you in mind of the simple heartbreakers from Italy’s postwar days, such as Umberto D., that’s very much the point. And still, these tense, frustrated exchanges, with a mechanic (Patton) and a security guard (Dalton), feel a touch undernourished. The title character is less than a cipher (Williams, while drabbed up, sometimes seems just an aloof Billyburg hipster), and the microeconomics of a cash-only existence will be substantial only to those who consciously ignore Wendy’s choices. What is she running from? I’m being slightly hard on Reichardt because she’s one of our best; her no-budget breakthrough, Old Joy, managed profundities that few filmmakers accomplish in a career. Wendy and Lucy does work, like a sad ballad for the must-love-dogs crowd, but feels disposable. It’s a minor disappointment from a major artist.

Author: Joshua Rothkopf 2008-12-09 18:50:21

Time Out New York Issue 689: December 11 - 17, 2008

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User reviews of this film

  • Kyle said...
    Posted on Jan 05 2009 21:39 Also, sorry for my miss type below. It distracts from the point I was trying to make. What I meant to type:
    There are few times where I would say this about a critic when they are simply voicing their educated opinion, but "What is she running from?" and "...and the microeconomics of a cash-only existence will be substantial only to those who consciously ignore Wendy’s choices." tells me that Mr. Kothkopf didn't exactly get it. In the Bush era America does he not understand that a hand to mouth lifestyle isn't exactly a choice or a running from situation? This is one of the great accomplishments of current American cinema.
    Report as inappropriate
  • Kyle said...
    Posted on Jan 05 2009 21:35 There are few times where I would say this about a critic when they are voicing their simply voicing their educated opinion, but "What is she running from?" and "...and the microeconomics of a cash-only existence will be substantial only to those who consciously ignore Wendy’s choices." tells me that Mr. Kothkopf didn't exactly get it. In the Bush era America does he not understand that a hand to mouth lifestyle isn't exactly a choice or a running from situation? This is one of the great accomplishments of current American cinema.
    Report as inappropriate
  • notafan said...
    Posted on Jan 03 2009 19:19 Also, I almost didn't see this movie because of this review. Other reviews, including in the NYT, have praised this film. Just an FYI for anyone reading this.
    Report as inappropriate
  • notafan said...
    Posted on Jan 03 2009 18:52 I disagree with a couple of things. First, I thought Old Joy was overrated. It was a beautiful film, but bor-ing. Second, Williams gives a great performance, full of subtlety and grit. She looks like every other young tomboy in portland, not an aloof billyburg hipster. The other characters are slightly awkward, but the interactions are rich, although not showy. Rather than disposable, I felt that Wendy & Lucy was a step forward for Kelly Reichardt.
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Wendy and Lucy

Cast & crew

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Cast: Michelle Williams, Will Oldham, Will Patton, Wally Dalton, Larry Fessenden full cast

Rated: R

Duration: 80 mins

US Release: Dec 10 2008

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