Director: Laurie Collyer
Year Released: 2006
Rating: 1.0
Freshly released-from-prison junkie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) makes an attempt to rebuild her meager existence and foster some kind of relationship with her daughter, who's being cared for by her brother and sister-in-law. Although Gyllenhaal's performance is well-regarded, it's really just another case of an actress allowing herself to (a.) get naked (frequently) and (b.) be presented without makeup and as white-trashy as possible (daring!); likewise, the script feels ported right from a made-for-TV Oxygen Network movie (or Lifetime: you pick your man-hater of choice) and even makes a little room for a sampling of abusive males (Sherry's father, for one) to go along with the legitimately concerned people (like fellow recovering addict Danny Trejo). I generally revolt against pictures that lean too strongly on children being used as sympathetic tools - too damn easy, I say - and so when Maggie's whining young-un starts crying and doesn't stop until she eventually pees her pants - much to the chagrin/disgust of aggressive Mom - I've had enough.
