Since Fat Kid Rules the World did not pan out as well as I had hoped, I decided to check out an independent film. Teen Vogue was raving about this one, despite it having limited release and doing very badly at the box office. But as you people probably know by now, sometimes bad press doesn't mean a hill of beans, especially with this movie.
The plot centers on a troubled promiscuous teen girl named Danielle and a gay, overweight boy named Clarke. They both live in Oklahoma in the 1960's, so you can imagine that they are virtual pariahs. They get paired up in school as a parenting project and are given a flour sack for a baby, which they name Joan. Things go well until Danielle's mom reveals she's marrying a Mormon and Clarke's father is threatening to send him to military school. So what do these two do? They steal Clarke's parents' car and embark on an epic road trip. Along the way, they record Joan's experiences in her "journal", Clarke loses his virginity to a man, and Danielle tries to get money by entering a strip contest (though it is in a gay bar and ultimately, Clarke ends up winning).
Was this movie good? Personally, I greatly enjoyed it. This film illustrates the freedom of the American road and what epic vacation movies should be like. Danielle and Clarke couldn't be more different, and that is what makes them work great together. The movie tries to make us hate Danielle, but you can't help rooting for her. Juno Temple is excellent in this role and I look forward to seeing her in other films.
Rating: 8/10
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